Fortune's Sight
by hihazuki
Summary: Things were getting even worse, and Naoto doesn't know if she can handle it all herself without the leader's full participation. Thinking she could do everything by herself was her biggest flaw. -Back from hiatus, maybe? Hopefully.-
1. The Beginning: The Hidden Truth

**Hi everyone, this is my first attempt on making a fanfic, so..............ok, let's not mince words and get to the point. Please RnR!!! No flaming pleaz..hope this appeals to you even just a little bit!.**

**Disclaimerz:ATLUS', not mine.**

**Has a hint of SoujiXNaoto in the end.  
LOL I totally love this pairing!!**

* * *

I groaned. This was certainly not the way I wanted to wake up. But I couldn't help it, my head was hurting and my back was aching after sleeping for too long. Wait, how long have I been sleeping? I glanced at the clock. It was still 6:30am. School didn't start until 9:00am, so I started to sort out the events that happened several days before.

* * *

"I'm going to figure this case once and for all and once I do, this little game of yours will end," I said. "It's time you left this case in the polices' hand. Stop trying to get yourselves involved. This isn't a game. If you would just- "

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO THINKS OF THIS AS A GAME!!!!" a girl with red pigtails slammed her fists on top of the table. I recognized her as Risette, the idol. "How dare you accuse US of playing around when you don't even have a SLIGHTEST clue of what we're facing here!! Aren't YOU the one who's thinking of this as a game? What could you possibly know about us?"

"That's right. Saki-senpai died because of this!! THERE'S NO WAY THAT I'D THINK OF THIS A GAME, YOU IDIOT!!!!" A brunette growled threateningly but something about the way he said it made me think he was threatening himself.

"Yeah! So why don't you think before you blurt something out!" a short-haired tomboyish girl retorted."LIVES are at stake here, and you think people like you can solve this case?!"

"...That's not exactly what she meant, but please understand. This is not like any of the cases that you may have solved, this requires..."a boy with gray hair and silver eyes broke off. I thought I met him before, when he was asking around about Kanji Tatsumi- who disappeared before- and introduced himself as Souji Seta.

"...I apologize. It does seem like the contrary, does it?" I replied. I began to walk away, but managed mutter something softly but was heard by most of them."...A game, huh,"I chuckled softly."I wish it was only a game, too." and walked away. I felt their eyes sting into me, threatening to pierce through, but I kept walking on until I was out of their sight.

Because I wanted to know the truth so badly, I had only one option. If they weren't going to tell me about how they were involved, I guessed that I was going to have to find it out myself. By using me...as the bait.

I've heard a couple of rumors about a channel that only appears on rainy midnights. While I was trying to figure out the 2 murder cases which involved Saki Konishi the third year and Mayumi Yamano the announcer, I suddenly realized a fact that was in front of my eyes all along this entire time. '_Wait, weren't these two the ones that appeared on tv and then disappeared before they were murdered? And the other attempted murder victims, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Mitsuo Kubo- they appeared on tv, disappeared, but returned again..hmm...this DEFINITELY has something to do with those people._'

I had my suspicions. I believed these suspicions were true, only that I needed evidence. So I did one thing that these victims had done.

Appearing on TV.

I detested the idea. I never liked making myself known to the entire country. But what could I do? If it was the only way, I'd do it without second thought. I know I'll be putting my life on the line, but I didn't care. What are those people keeping to themselves so desperately that they can't tell anyone else about it? Anyway, it was too late to back out now. My mind was made.

After the show was aired, I was preparing myself. I was sure that the killer was targeting me next, and I couldn't afford to waste any time. I suspected, that the killer would use some kind of chemical substance so I was ready. I didn't go to school for the next few days because I was waiting for the killer. As I figured, THEY became worried and determined that I was the next target. As to what they were going to do, I had no idea. I just waited and watched as the scene unfolded.

The doorbell rang. I opened the door casually. There was no way the killer could just boldly walk up and ring the doorbell like that so I thought it was someone else. When I opened the door, to my surprise, no one was there. Suddenly, a hand cuffed me from behind and injected some kind of liquid into my arm. I suppose that was for making me unconscious but fortunately I didn't. Even though it didn't entirely inebriate me but it still made sight a blur so I couldn't really make out of what happened clearly. All I remembered was that I was being shoved into a sack and...uh, carried..on the culprit's shoulder. What seemed like minutes was when there was a tingling sensation and a different atmosphere. I was confused. I thought I was being thrown somewhere, but where? Then I blacked out.

When I woke up, there was a pain throbbing in my head. I felt so dizzy. I looked around. I was in a military room, and lying on...an operation desk? Above me, there were...?! I sat up quickly. I then realized that wasn't alone. A boy with a hat stood with his back facing me. He seemed to be crying. I stood up and walked over to the boy, and tried to tap his shoulder. When he turned around...what? M-m-ME?! I staggered back, trying to clutch anything that was within reach.

"W-w-Who are you? Why are you crying? But most of all, why do you look like me?!" I managed to blurt out. But, as quick as it would cry, it grinned a malicious grin, and replied," Don't YOU know who I am? I'm what you're REALLY are, a child, a lonely RETARDED CHILD!!!"

I wondered, how in the world could they face this? And they were able to keep it a secret all this time.

Deep down, though, I had a nagging feeling that these were true, that I needed to accept the fact that I'm like what my shadow felt. But I countered, and tried to interrogate the child. But it was no use. It kept on crying for a minute, then serious the other minute, and cry again the next. Just when I was about to seriously lose it, the door-which I hadn't seen earlier- opened and much to my surprise the group aforementioned barged in, carrying...weapons? Do they fight?

I tried to put on on a straight, calm face, and said,"...So, you're finally here. There is no use talking to this child, he won't cooperate, so I will take my leave." Not wanting to stay a minute longer there, I started to back out. Suddenly, there was a shrill, high-pitched voice.

"No no NO don't leave me here! I don't wanna be left all alone! Why won't anyone understand?!"

"H-Huh?" I sputtered, as I whirled around to face my 'other' self. "W-What are you talking about?"

" Why delude yourself? I am you," My shadow turned over a new face. " People won't stop treating you like a kid, and push you aside, like you're nothing but RUBBISH!"

" I-I won't throw a tantrum. That doesn't accomplish anything." I gasped, trying to regain my composure.

The shadow laughed menacingly. "AHAHAHAHAHA!!! What, even after you've been humiliated by those people, yet you still follow them? _'Throwing a tantrum won't solve anything, Naoto-kun' _and other such BILGE!!"

"STOP IT!!"

"_Naoto, _such a cool, MANLY name! But a name doesn't let you cross the barrier between the sexes!!" It growled.

Terrified that it would blurt out the ultimate truth that I was desperately trying to hide for so long, I could only shout out the only thing possible. "STOP IT!!! DON'T SAY IT!!"

But it was too late.

"How can you be an ideal MAN, when you were NEVER male to begin with?"

I froze. I couldn't utter a single sound. The others behind me who were listening intently gasped.

"W-wait, d-did I hear that right?!"

"Na-Naoto-kun is a...girl?"

"N-No way!"

"Shit! Naoto's a WHAT?!"

My voice took on a pitch that I would never have allowed it to,

"STOP IT!!!!!!!!!! Y-You're not-!!!"

" No, don't, Naoto-kun!"

" It's alright, Chie-senpai," Kanji said, determined. "Let her shout. She's held it in for too long. It's OUR job to kick that shadow's ass to where it belongs!!"

"AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! You're going to kick my ass? Fine then! Let's see who REALLY kicks which ass, you lizard-brained imbeciles!!!!" The shadowed cackled. Then a purple light began to emanate the shadow, and it turned into a monster but before I could see what it looked like, I passed out. Before I was absorbed into the dark realm, I could hear muffled voices,"HERE IT COMES EVERYBODY!!!! LET'S KICK SOME SHADOW ASS!!!!!!"

* * *

"...Mm..,"I stirred. "Where....am I? I remember you all arriving, and..."

I was lying on the floor, and everyone was towering above me. Is this what you get for being in this world for too long? As painful as it was, I stood up. "That's right...you saw everything..."I said hoarsely, my voice changed from the forced male masculine voice to a more relaxed soft natural one. It sounded a lot more like a girl.

I realized what I must do, but I hadn't the courage to do so. My eyes wandered around the area, trying to spot my shadow. There it was, over at the other side, gazing at me, as if waiting for me to say something. I hesitated. Then the silver-haired boy said," Don't worry, do what you've got to do, we perfectly understand." I nodded.

I trudged over sluggishly to the front of the shadow and glanced at its eyes. For the first time, I felt like I was looking at the reflection of...myself, and not another stranger. I gathered up the will to say it all.

"I'm sorry, you must've been in a great deal of pain now. I tried to hide you-or even banish- you from myself, but to no avail. When I was young, I lost my parents' in an accident, so my grandfather took me in. I spent most of my time reading detective novels in my grandfather's study, because I wasn't really good at making friends."

_"When I grow up...I'm gonna be an awesome, hard-boiled detective...!" _It said.

I nodded. "My parents' were quite proud of their job. I had no objections about following in their footsteps...an inherited occupation can be stifling too many, but I welcomed it...I yearned for the day that I could be a detective myself...I suppose it came from them as well. Because I was always alone, my grandfather realized that it was his duty to help me realize my dream. He allowed me to assist him with his clients in a secret manner...before long, people started calling me Junior Detective.

"At first, I was delighted. But not everything went so smoothly...because of my status as 'a child', not everyone welcomes my collaboration when it comes to solving cases...it was sufficient to offend many of those whom I worked with. As if that were the only issue, it would've resolved over time. Though one day I will change from a child to an adult, I will never change from a woman to a man."

" Do you not like being a girl?...Is that why you always dress like a boy?" Yukiko spoke up.

"Yes. My gender doesn't fit the ideal image of a detective...besides, the department is a male-oriented society...if they have the slightest reason to look down on me, no one would need me anymore. But I really don't know that." I faced my shadow again. "......."

"So once again, I'm sorry. I knew you existed, but I kept ignoring you and pretended you didn't exist. But you're me, and I'm you. What I'm yearning for -no, what I must STRIVE for isn't to become a man, but to accept myself for the way I am."

My shadow slowly but surely nodded, and made a small smile. I was flabbergasted, but feeling warm at the same time as It dissolved into particles and formed a card with a picture of a Persona-I believe- that said," _The strength of your heart has been manifested. I am Sukuna-Hikona, thy facade to overcome thou hardships."_

But the warmth I had felt disappeared as soon as I felt fatigue wash over me. This world is scraping at my energy so much that I couldn't stand on my own two feet any longer. My knees gave way as I collapsed to the floor.

I blinked as I directly stared into the eyes of my saviors. Yes, they were the exact same eyes I stared into several times before. The mischievous eyes of Yosuke-san, the hyper and cheerful eyes of Chie-san, the calm and elegant ones of Yukiko's, the hard and cold ones of Kanji's, the childish ones of Rise, the 'round' eyes of Teddie, and...I could never tell what kind of eyes Souji-kun has. So passionate yet so knowledgeable, and dangerous if you gaze at them for too long. And...mysterious? _'So this is what a leaders' eyes look like. Very...impressive.'_

I managed a soft chuckle. "Ahahaha...in any case, you're a devious bunch. I can't believe you were able to keep this a secret this whole time."

"Well, it wasn't a secret anymore when a certain two _drunk _people blurted it all out at the school trip in the club,"Yosuke groaned, immediately recieving two pairs of piercing, glaring eyes which appeared to be none other than Yukiko and Rise, who looked ready to finish his guts off.

"Ok, save the discussion for later, we need to get you outta here. This place is too dangerous." Chie warned, before Yosuke became prey for two hungry predators. She took my left shoulder and Yukiko by my right.

* * *

A sudden change of atmosphere made me look up. I was in Junes, right in front of the TV we passed through. I sensed the others beside me were beginning to feel stiff, so I said,"It's okay, you can let me go now." What I didn't expect was for me to fall down right after they let me I that tired?

It was then everything came spilling out like spoilt milk.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!"Kanji roared fiercely.

I was clasping my knee and sitting down on the floor, with my head bowed, like a child being scolded by her father. I breathed in and out heavily.

"You were too damn reckless, damnit!! Darn, you're no genius at all. We were tearin' our hair out for ya!"

"Aw, Kanji-kun, you DO care about her after all! How sweet of you,"Rise cooed.

"Sh-shut up! Mind yer own business!!!"Kanji replied, his cheeks having a tinge of red in them.

"Heheh... I never...doubt that you all would come and...rescue me. This...is very tiring...isn't it?" I gave a tired smile.

"...I'm sure Naoto-kun's tired now, it would be best to talk some other time,"Yukiko said."We'll walk you home, okay?"

"N-no, that won't be necessary, I'm perfectly capable of walking home by myself."I said as convincingly as I could.

"Nuh-uh, Naoto-kun! Don't think that doing everything by yourself is the 'adult' thing to do! Come on, just grab on!"Rise made a comeback. Everyone nodded silently. I stifled a groan as I allowed the group to walk me home.

* * *

"Finally, the pain's gone," I relieved myself. I took a sip of water that was lying beside the bed. The clock said 8:30. There was still half an hour left. Then I looked at the calendar.

"H-h-how many days have I been asleep?!" I stumbled out of bed. My legs were very shaky, in response of not being moved for several days. I searched frantically around the room, and spotted my uniform and schoolbag. _'Did Yakushiji-san prepare it for me?'_

Nevertheless, I hurried and put on my stuff. I was about to rush out of the room when suddenly a scheduled doctor walked in. I assumed he was going to perform a check-up on me. "My-my, Shirogane-san, why are you in such a hurry? Are you feeling any better yet? You shouldn't go to school today if you're still not feeling well,"The doctor sounded worried.

"It's okay, I feel a lot better now, so if you'll excuse me,"I said hurriedly, and the doctor just nodded.

"Then I'll report your health to your grandfather. I'm sure he would be relieved."

As I walked out of my room, my grampa's faithful secretary, Yakushiji-san, was carrying a tray of water. He was startled to see me hurrying about.

"Na-Naoto-sama! You'll get sick again if you hurry around too much, considering you've just gotten better!" he cried out.

"No need to worry, Yakushiji-san,"I said. "I'm fine now, so let me through."

"V-very well,"Yakushiji moved aside hesitantly. "Just let me know if there's anything wrong....Oh, and Naoto-sama!"

"What is it?"

"I believe there is someone waiting outside for you." he said.

"Huh?" _'Someone? Who might that be?'_

As I ran down the stairs to the front door, I recognized instantly who was waiting for me.

"Ah, Naoto, are you feeling alright?" A familiar high-schoolers' voice asked in concern.

"S-Souji-senpai! How long have you been there? And where are the others?" I exclaimed.

"I just arrived here. I thought that I'd check up on how you're doing, but it seems you're perfectly fine now,"He smiled. "The others are waiting at school. Now, let's get going, shall we?"

"S-sure, let's."I agreed quickly, a faint blush forming in my cheeks. I wasn't used to being this close to anyone before.

We walked in silence. I was still trying to figure out what happened before, when I earned my persona. Does that mean...I can join their group? But they probably don't need me...after all, I was the one who first accused them of playing around when I didn't even know a clue what was going on. Halfway to school, I spoke up.

"U-Um...senpai?"

"Yes?" He replied calmly and smoothly. I was so curious on how he was able to manage his personality all this time.

"I'm sorry,"I started. "For causing you all a lot of trouble. I just had to see with my own eyes the hidden truth. I was curious. But it all had to lead to this. I've been a tremendous nuisance to you all."I sighed.

I must've looked really miserable, because the very next moment my hair was being ruffled and messed with by Souji-kun. "S-Senpai!!"I gasped.

"Forget about it. Here, do you want some chewing gum? I'm sure this will get your mind off of those events,"Souji offered, reaching into his school bag and pulling out a piece of gum.

" Th-thank you, senpai,"I said gratefully, taking the gum.

"Oh, and one last thing,"he added before entering the school gates and parting ways,"Meet us at the Junes Food court after school. There are some 'things' that we'd like to discuss with you."

"Very well, it would be my pleasure."I agreed.

* * *

"...So, you were getting ready for the killer when the doorbell rang?"Chie confirmed.

That afternoon the food court seemed crowder than usual. Of course, with at least eight of us sitting around a table it'd be a surprise if it WASN'T crowded. But today, almost everyone appeared to be on edge, including me. I could tell they were dying to get even a TINY scrap of information out of me. Probably because I was the one who was clearly expecting the culprit.

"Yes, and when I opened the door, no one was there," I answered. " And suddenly, a pair of strong arms cuffed me from behind, and injected a liquid that I would expect him to. But I knew there were going to be scenes like this, so I didn't pass out entirely. All I could decipher was that he was acting alone and no one to help him."

"Wait a moment, how'd you know the killer's a 'he'?"Yosuke inquired.

"Oh come on Yosuke, I mean, who would be that strong to strangle you and stuff you into a sack from behind? There's no way a normal _female _human would be strong enough to do that! Of course she could tell the culprit's a boy, you dork!"Chie snapped.

"Fine, fine! Sorry! Sheesh, all that coming from an ace detective. Wow,"Yosuke praised. "But you didn't see the killer's face?"

"In truth, I was really scared. So..."I bowed my head down in shame. "I wasn't able to. I'm sorry."

"Oh crap..."Yosuke sighed.

"Yosuke, don't be so hard on her,"Yukiko scolded him. "She's just a human, like all of us, and human's make mistakes sometimes. She's also younger than us, and she's a female."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Naoto," Yosuke mumbled. "You had me going for a minute there, thinking you were a boy. But..."Yosuke grinned in a slightly mischievous way.

"But what, senpai?"I was starting to have an uneasy feeling.

"...You have balls even for a girl, you know." he finished his sentence.

It was then Chie smacked Yosuke with a sickening crack on the head. All of us winced and looked away at the same time.

"Owie, that should hurt,"Rise grimaced.

"YOU SICK PERVO!!! DON'T START GETTING WILD IDEAS IN YOUR HEAD, MISTER, OR I'LL TEACH YOU WHO REALLY HAS BALLS!!!!!!!!!"

"Alright, that's enough Chie and Yosuke. We didn't come here to knock each other's heads off,"Souji glared at them both.

"....uh......she...she hasn't met Teddie yet, has she?"Kanji spoke, trying to change the subject. Really, I didn't notice he was there until he spoke up. He was awfully quite this entire time, I wondered why.

"Oh, Teddie, right? I've met him before in the class trip, I believe?"I asked.

"Well, then I guess it's time for you to take a look inside the 'other world',"Souji continued. "Just to get the hang of things. Don't worry, it won't take long." he promised.

"U-uhuh,"I just managed to make a weak smile. My heart was pounding so hard that it could burst any minute. I couldn't imagine going back to _that _place again.

A hand patted my shoulder. "Keep your cool, k'? You'll get used to it soon."Rise smiled comfortingly.

"Ok, I'll be fine,"I nodded.

* * *

**...Okay, that was a totally long and winding one. I tried to keep a length of 1,000 to 2,000 words, but when I started writing, I tend to go overboard!!! Oh, and some of the dialogues are similar to the ones in the game. The next chaps not gonna be as long as this one...but it depends on you readers too, so please review and give advice!!;)**


	2. First Experience

**I'm back with a new chap! Don't worry, it won't be as long as before..anyway, as usual, please read and review..and thanks a million for those who already reviewed!!!!!!!!!!**

* * *

"S-so..it's really just a…normal TV." I gazed disbelievingly at the screen in front of me.

It was grand all right, with a high-definition and wide-screen. It was expensive, and luxurious. It would probably be anyone's dream TV.

But it didn't change the fact that it was a _normal _one.

"Yup, that's what normal people think," Chie answered. "…But it's US we're talking about here, the chosen saviors of mankind! The harbingers of justice! For us, every TV is a portal to the other world."

"You were kind of exaggerating in the first part, Chie-senpai," Rise giggled. "But I totally agree!! We're the only ones who can solve this case!"

"So, every TV here leads to the same destination?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Each TV leads to different places of the other world, and I suggest you don't take any other route other than the one we're taking, unless you want to get lost. Anyway, let's stop chattering and get to it already," Yosuke sighed. "I'll go first."

"I'll go next." Yukiko continued. "It's all right, the electronics department is empty at this hour."

I watched silently as Yosuke pressed the palm of his hand to the screen. Little waves rippled around his hand, before consuming it. Then he grinned and put his body in. I watched in awe. It must have took some time, because Chie was getting pretty restless.

"Stop showing off and get in, already!!" Chie growled. She shoved Yosuke hard into the TV, who was unaware of the sudden push. He yelped.

"…I'll get you for this, Chie!!" Yosuke's voice echoed, and after a few seconds, faded.

"I'd like to see you try!" Chie shot back.

Yukiko held back a laugh as she went in next. She failed to conceal it however, and a hysterical laugh echoed through the screen before fading away. It sounded exactly like the ones in horror movies,only much MUCH scarier, the only difference was this time it was real.

"…Man, this is too damn scary," Kanji shivered. "I'm next."

One by one they went in, eventually leaving only me and Souji. I stood rooted to the spot, as still as a statue. Souji bored his gaze into me as he said, "…Go ahead, get in."

"N-not if you get in first," I shook my head. "I'm still trying to get used to this, you know."

Souji sighed and stepped into the TV. _'Was he really going to leave me all alone here?!' _I thought to myself. I ignored that feeling and tried to stay composed.

Before he put his entire head in however, he glanced back at me and sighed. Then he held his right hand out for me to grasp. "Okay, let's just go in together. That way you wouldn't need to be as scared as you are now."

I gave up trying to compose myself, and nodded. The palms of my hands were sweating terribly. I took his hand, closed my eyes and slowly went inside the TV.

I felt incredibly light. It was as though there was no gravity. I dared myself to open my eyes. Black and white boxes spiraled through both of us. I looked back. The TV was getting smaller and smaller until it vanished to thin air. "S-s-Senpai!!!" I clung tightly to the leader, shutting my eyes tightly, as if the world was about to end. I was scared, and I knew it. I would never act like this if I were in the right state of mind, but I didn't care anymore. This was all too…_extraordinary _for me. All of what I thought only existed in fairytales became reality.

"It's all right, we're here already." Souji replied softly. "Um…you can let me go now."

I opened my eyes slowly, almost painfully. I looked around. Everyone was surrounding us, looking directly at me and having weird looks on their faces.

"Oooh..this is quite a sight," Yosuke smirked. "An ace detective clinging to the leader for dear life. Dude, you could make everyone fall for you. Now I'm jealous."

"Aww, how cute…" Rise grinned. "I didn't know you had that other side of you, Naoto-kun."

"So Naoto-kun _DOES_ have a feminine side to her," Yukiko smiled. "N-Not that I have any problems with it, it's just…unlike you."

I suddenly realized that I was still clinging very tightly to Souji. I automatically released my death-grip, and blushed quite strongly. "I-I'm sorry, Souji-kun."

"No worries." was his answer.

I took the time to examine my surroundings. It was like a filming theatre, and there were spotlights everywhere. I tried to look at the landscape, but there was nothing except for thick yellow fog.

"What's with all this fog? I can't see anything in the state I'm in now," I inquired. "And…I believe there're something different about you guys. Are you all…wearing glasses? Has your eyesights gone bad? Or is there something about this world that will affect you if you don't wear them?"

"No, our eyesights haven't gone bad, silly. Just wait and see." Rise said, pointing to one direction.

I looked at the direction she was pointing at. There was a dark, round silhouette. It was in the shape of…a bear?

"There's Teddie. 'Bout time he showed up." Kanji grumbled.

The silhouette became bigger and clearer. Sure enough, it was Teddie, but with the bear suit this time.

"Hi everyone!! You've finally come! I said to myself that if you guys didn't come a minute sooner, I'm gonna go into your world and score myself plenty of hot studs!!" Teddie cried out.

"…Hot…studs?" I said disgustingly.

"Teddie!! Just let it go, why don't you!!" Yukiko said menacingly.

"Ok, honeys, enough talk. Now's not the time to be playing around with me," Teddie said in a sort of flirting way. "I see we have another pretty young girl here."

"P-Pretty? I-I'm not pretty!!" I exclaimed.

"My-my, no need to be shy, my lady. Anyway, here you go, _mademoiselle_," Teddie handed me a pair of blue-framed glasses. "I knew you'd come here, so I made one especially for you, Nao-chan!"

'_Nao-chan? What the-'_ "Well, thank you…Teddie. I appreciate it very much." I said, brushing away my recent thoughts.

"You're welcome!" Teddie beamed at his own masterpiece. "Hurry, try it on!"

I reluctantly nodded and carefully put them on. In an instant, the fog vanished, and my surroundings became clear again.

"W-wow, it's like the fog never exists!" I gasped.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Souji said. "Anyway, do you want to train now? Just a few shadows?"

"But, I didn't bring my revolver. And anyway, I need to reload it." I replied.

"Wow, you use a revolver for combat? That's just cool, man. Figures, since you're a detective." Yosuke said.

"Fine then, we'll train some other time. Besides, we have exams coming up, and I suggest we have a study group together." Souji advised.

"Cool with me dude. Anytime." Yosuke shrugged.

"Oh! Oh! How about tomorrow? We're all free tomorrow, right? It'll be Sunday," Rise asked. "How about it, everyone?"

"Sure, okay."

"Whatever's in it for me."

"Okie dokie!"

"Very well, then it's decided," I said, relieved to talk about something else. "We'll have a study group tomorrow, at noon. How does that sound?"

Everyone agreed, and I added, "And…if it's possible, can we train here too? After studying, of course."

All of them just nodded.

Before we all went back to the real world, Teddie, who'd been confused this entire time, asked,"…what's, EXAMS? Is it something you eat? Or is it another word for scoring?"

We all groaned, and Yukiko had the pleasure of torturing Teddie with Agidyne until he was burnt to a crisp.

* * *

**There goes my second chapter! I hope it wasn't all that bad. Exams are coming up for me as well, *sigh*. Gotta study harder, wish me luck, everyone! **

**Anyways, I hope my grammar is improving…please R&R. Third chapter coming soon!!:D**


	3. A Study Group Goes Wrong

**Chapter 3 has arrived! Presented to you by Hihazuki..*ahem* **

**I've noticed that Naoto in Chapter 2 is a bit OOC…I'll just try harder, then!**

**Anyway, please R&R!**

**Okay, ready or not, here it comes!!!!**

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* * *

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It was a hot day for the investigation team. BOILING hot, actually.

"Why did I ever agree to this…" Yosuke said regretfully. "If I hadn't come here I would have…-"

"No clue on what to write in the exams," Chie scoffed. "You fool, do you really think you can pass with those numbers on your paper?"

"Speak for yourself. I think I'm not the only one who regrets this. Look around." Yosuke said.

Sure enough, over half of the team were just as Yosuke said. Yukiko was fanning herself over and over, Kanji was taking off his jacket and wiping himself with it continously, Rise was drinking her third bottle of cold drinks, Yosuke was wailing his head off, moaning and grumbling to himself, while Teddie ran off to find an air-conditioner to cool himself off. They all looked like they were getting drunk from the heat. The only sober people remaining were me, Souji and Chie.

Our textbooks were layed out in front of us, waiting to be studied, but truth to be told, I don't think we ever will. Definitely not in this condition.

"Senpai, do you have any suggestions?" I murmured to Souji next to me. "I'm not sure we could study in this state."

"Let's go somewhere eeeelse," Rise wailed. "I'm burnin' up heeeere…how could you three possibly STAND this horrid heat?"

"That's it, I'm not gonna stay here anymore. I'll just go inside the TV and kick some shadow ass. No good stayin' here." Kanji decided.

"I-I don't think it's such a good idea-" Chie started.

"I'll come with you Kanji-kun," Yukiko interrupted wearily. "I'm sure you'll need some help. My hands are feeling stiff already."

"-to split-"

"Me too!! Me, me, ME!! Don't leave me behind!!" Rise exclaimed.

"Count me in," Yosuke said to them, then turned to us, and said, "Count me out. Have fun studying while we have fun fighting!!"

"...up," Chie finished awkwardly. "Oh dammit, just go do whatever you want! Don't call on us if you're in any trouble!!"

They scrambled to their feet and bounded away to the electronics department with Teddie -who just reappeared- hard on their heels.

"Let them go, Chie-senpai." I inhaled deeply. I had enough of dealing with those goofballs. If they were going to fail the exams, let them be. It might teach them a lesson to not pick training over studying.

I examined the pages in front of me. "Well, where should we begin?" I questioned.

"Hm…Let's begin from here," Souji said.

"H-hey, that material's still too hard for me! How about we start from this page?" Chie cried out.

As several minutes passed, I began to feel worried. How long were those four people going to stay over in that world? I voiced my concern to the other two.

"Alright alright then, let's check them out. Hopefully we can get them to realize what's important to them right now, not the one right after." Souji agreed thoughtfully.

"Have you made sure to bring your weapon, Naoto-kun?" Chie asked. "We don't want you making excuses for not bringing it again, like yesterday."

"What? Yesterday was for real!" I defended myself. "Don't worry, I brought it this time."

"Can I see? Can I see?"

I carefully unsheathed the revolver from my case-holder and held it out for Souji and Chie to see.

"It's really nothing, you know," I shrugged. "It's just a-"

"WOW!!!! This is so COOL, Naoto! It has these…ancient-like carvings in them! I bet this thing was handed down from your ancestors all the way to you! What's it called? What's it called?" Chie asked eagerly.

"Chie-senpai…" I sighed. "There's no need to exaggerate. It's just a normal revolver. Well, you're quite true, it is handed down by generations of the Shirogane bloodline, although I don't really understand what the carvings mean. It's known as 'Algernon', I believe."

"Algernon, is it? So cool!! So mystic!! I love things like this…it has a mysterious ring to it…and a 'hidden' meaning to it, too…" Chie was lost in her own thoughts.

"Don't flatter me too much, senpai…oh no, Souji-kun's walking away! Let's catch up to him before he leaves us behind!!" I said as I tucked the revolver back into the case until it was needed in the TV world.

* * *

I volunteered to be first to go inside the TV. That was all. And the other two just agreed. But it didn't mean that the least-experienced person like me can get piled on. Okay I admit, I wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. But oh, how it hurt.

"Ouch… get off…of me, you…two…" I struggled with what was left of my voice, hardly high enough for them to hear me. After all, they were the ones knocking the air out of me.

"I…can't…breath…"

"O my gosh, I'm so sorry, Naoto!!" Chie abruptly stood up, apologizing while she did. "Um…was I that heavy? Must have been eating too many steaks…"

"Sorry, too. I know _I_ was heavy." Souji grunted as he hauled himself off of me

I let out my suppressed breath as I felt the two-person weight lifted. Never again was I going to volunteer to be the first to enter the TV world. I took my hat, stood up, and brushed the dust off my clothes.

"Can't there have been a more decent entrance? I'll sue the one who created this. And no kidding, you two really are heavy," I joked lightly. "Ok, now let's see where those four bee-brains are."

"Keep quiet, both of you. I think I can hear something." Souji hushed.

I strained to hear what it he heard. Sure enough, there were sounds of metal beating against flesh, and several war-cries that was unmistakably Yosuke's and Kanji's.

"Let's follow the direction of their voices!!" I yelled, the first one to take off. The other two followed close behind. I clutched the trigger of my revolver tightly.

* * *

"This…This is…" I trailed off.

"Your dungeon, isn't it?" Souji finished.

We were standing in front of a military hideout that was obviously my dungeon. The dungeon I especially wanted to forget. I thought this particular dungeon had already vanished! The memories I was trying to forget, came flooding back to me. My shadow's words hitting me with full force, my friends' realization of the truth, the gaining of my persona…_'Wait, persona?'_

I hardly remembered I had one. What was it's name? Oh yes, Sukuna Hikona, which I believe it's name to be the name of a certain medicine god.

'_But, isn't my persona a bit too small? It's much smaller than me.'_ I wondered. I was suddenly dying to try out my special powers, so I ignored the rebelling urge to not come back here and said, "It's okay, we'll catch those moronic idiots and bring them back. I'll just ignore the fact that this is my own dungeon and just go right in. Just because it's my dungeon doesn't mean that I won't go in. That's okay with you guys, right?"

"…That's incredible, you could get used to your dungeon just at first sight," Chie remarked. "Usually the others take time to adjust."

As we entered, the shouts and yells of our teammates became clearer and closer. I could hear Kanji shouting,"Take this, you fuckin' shadows!!" and Yosuke crying out his victory cry, while Yukiko commenced the start of an all-out attack. Teddie and Rise were the support by the sounds of it, Rise an analyzer while Teddie a healer.

"They're getting closer! Let's hurry and join'em!!" Chie exclaimed excitedly.

Only a couple of shadows got in our way, either a few of them were sliced in half by Souji's sword, kicked hard by Chie's greaves or shot by me. We decided it was best to conserve our SP since we didn't bring any recovering SP items.

"Outta the way, shadows!! Fighters of justice comin' through!!" Chie striked a finishing blow before continuing on her way.

By the time we reached the last floor, we were exhausted. It wasn't easy beating all those shadows with just three party members. I made sure to remember to give them all a good long lecture once I find them.

'_Oh, speak of the devil, there they are.'_ I thought grimly. Just in front of us, just a couple of yards away, were the silhouettes of four people, plus a bear. _'That has to be them, there's no doubt about it.'_

"Guys, I have a feeling that something bad's gonna happen," Chie stated with a hint of uneasiness. "We have to hurry and help'em!"

As we ran down the corridor, Chie readied herself and shouted, "HEY GUYS, LOOK WHO'S HE-"

_**KABAAAAMM!!!!!!!!!**_

An explosion sounded through the air. The three of us were knocked back from the force of the blow. I stumbled back and coughed as smoke began to penetrate the area. _'W-What's happening?! Why is there-is everyone else all right?!?'_

My hands frantically searched the ground for my revolver. Once I found it, I grabbed it tightly and positioned myself in an attacking stance. I looked around, trying to spot the others. Chie and Souji were two feet ahead of me, getting up on their knees slowly.

"Naoto? There you are! What the heck just happened?!" Chie gritted her teeth, shaking slightly.

Souji stood up and looked around cautiously.

The fog from the explosion cleared, revealing the rest of our teammates sprawled out on the floor. The only person standing was Rise, because she wasn't really close to the fighting scene. But it didn't mean that she was all right. She coughed violently several times before choking out a few strangled heap of words, "No…there…*cough*the enemy…it's*cough**cough*…too strong…" she coughed a few more times before her voice regained its normal tone again. "Wait!! I detect three other presences other than us and the enemy!! Could it be…?"

She whirled around and faced us. When she saw us, she yelled in delight.

"THERE THEY ARE!!! CHIE-SENPAI, SOUJI-SENPAI, NAOTO-KUN, OVER HERE!!! WE NEED SOME HELP!!!"

" Oh, we're gonna be so dead after this is over…" Yosuke groaned to himself, his face still flat on the ground.

"I agree with you for once, senpai," Kanji moaned.

"I wish that I was more sensible," Yukiko sighed regretfullly.

"Please, defeat that shadow for us!! I'm begging you!! All of our attacks don't seem to any take effect on the enemy!!!" Rise pleaded wearily. "It's an enemy unlike any we've ever seen before, my persona identifies it as a World Balance!!"

"Does it have any weaknesses?" Souji stretched and turned his neck sideways until it clicked. It was his signature battle move.

"It does, but we don't have that skill!! If we had, this battle would be over in a flash!"

"Just tell me what it is, Rise." Souji said impatiently.

"It's Darkness! Only Mudo spells can defeat it! Do you have a persona that has a Mudo skill, senpai?" Rise asked hopefully.

Souji closed his eyes. I assumed he was checking through all of his persona to see if one of them had that particular spell. _'Please, PLEASE let him have one…'_ I pleaded silently. There was very little chance of him not having one, since he can store more than just one persona. I watched for any signs of movement on his face as he concentrated.

"Darn it!! No, all I have is Hamaon, physical skills, and -Dyne spells," Souji cursed to himself. "Why can't I have stored more useful personas that have Mudo spells than filling my slots with personas that just have physical attacks!!"

"Don't blame yourself yet, senpai!" Rise encouraged. "Check your items! There might be a Curse Paper or two!!"

"_HIYAAH!!!"_ Chie yowled, batting at the shadow with her greaves. "Okay guys, I'll keep the shadow busy while you guys figure a way outta this mess!!" She then summoned her persona.

"Go, Suzuka-Gongen!! God's Hand!!" I paid close attention as she did. _'So that's how you summon a persona,'_ I thought to myself. _'I think that should be a piece of cake.'_

"No!!!!!! There's none here, too!" a voice snapped me back to reality. "We don't have ANYTHING left except for a few Macca Leaves and Purifying Salts!!"

Come to think of it, I have never really known what kind of skills _I _had. I closed my eyes and concentrated deeply on my inner self. A few seconds later, I felt something engulf me in a warm light.

Sukuna-Hikona appeared in my mind, floating delicately, as if waiting for me to call it. I gained access to the abilities that my persona had. I took the time I had left to skim through it all. All of them were unfamiliar to me, _Vorpal Blade, Deathbound, Hama, Mahama, Megidola…_I gasped sharply. One skill that we all so greatly needed was there. _Mudo._

'_Thou art I, and I am thou. Summon me, and I will assist you.'_ Sukuna-Hikona whispered gently.

I took a breath and let it out deeply. I had never been depended on like this before. All of my friends' lives were at stake here, and the decision was upon me, whether to finish this once and for all or die in shame.

I opened my eyes. With a newfound determination, I heard myself saying in a completely calm and firm voice,"Move aside, Chie-senpai."

Everyone laid their eyes on me. They had never seen me so determined and calm before. Chie moved aside, while gazing at me curiously. "D-don't tell me you…"

I spun my revolver a few times, a move that has become my habit, and took my stance. The shadow in front of me was still, as if taunting me to try and hurt it. I focused. A blue card similar to the one that appeared a few days ago appeared again. I remembered what Chie had done with her own card. She whipped around while kicking the card, it shattered, and gave way to Suzuka-Gongen.

"Come out, Sukuna-Hikona!!!"

But instead of kicking the card, I shot it, and it burst into particles of shards, which quickly combined itself to become Sukuna-Hikona.

"Don't tell me she's gonna…she has......" Kanji stammered with his mouth wide open, unable to finish his sentence.

_"MUDO!!!!!!!!"_ I shouted the word at the top of my lungs.

Sukuna-Hikona nodded in approval, and circled me a few times before it swung its energy sword to the direction of the shadow. The shadow was startled for a second, then realized what was going on, and screamed in agony as the dark spell consumed it.

* * *

…**I'm going to stop here for a while. God, my fingers feel so numb right now. **

**Well, let's see how my work paid off by sending me revvies and advice…  
...Do you guys think she's still OOC? Well, just let me know if there's anything wrong.**

**Anyway, OMG the exams are only a few days away, and I CAN'T STUDY AT ALL!!!!*beats myself up***

**muststudymustfocusmuststudymustfocus......blablabla**

**Next chap has hints of the upcoming culture festival! Should I make Naoto appear in the second part of the swimsuit competition or not...hm..but I don't know what she'll wear.......AARRGGHH I HATE MOMENTS LIKE THIS!!! Give me ideas, all of you...  
I'll be waiting.. **


	4. The Health Results Are Revealed!

…**And here it goes again. Not much to say here, 'cept please RnR…oh, and I've decided to **_**not **_**let Naoto appear in the swimsuit competition…It's better that way, even though I was DYING to see her in a swimsuit. And anyway, I can't really decide what she'd wear.**

**This time it's the health examinations, with more indulgence n the meaning of personas and shadows. Man, this was a pain. More explained in bottom I totally LOVE this part…**

**Please sit back, and enjoy the show..**

**

* * *

**

The shadow's screech slowly faded away. Silence, awkwardness and guiltiness hung heavily over the group. Everyone was still trying to digest of what happened.

"…Y-You had that kind of spell a-all along…didn't you," Yosuke frowned disapprovingly. "Why didn't you do it earlier? You nearly had us devoured!"

"H-Hey!! Do you even know _WHOSE _fault it is?! You're lucky we all came to you in time, you're lucky SHE was here!!" Chie pointed her trembling finger directly at me. "If she wasn't here, we'd all be like fried chicken here! Be grateful for once, and apologize!"

"…Thanks, and uh…*sigh*Sorry. Won't do it again." Yosuke murmured.

"Whaaat? I can't heaaar yooouu.." Chie mocked.

"I said I'M SORRY!! I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!" Yosuke yelled irritatingly. "Sheesh, you're really making fun of this, aren't you…and man, don't put the blame all on ME!! I'm not the only one who wanted to come here! Kanji! Yukiko! Teddie! Rise! They took part too!"

"It's okay," I said quickly. "You don't need to apologize. At least you've all learned your lesson."

"Yes, madam." Yosuke replied nonchalantly, earning a well deserved kick in the…nads by Chie.

"Anyway, we're sorry too. We only listened to our instinct, and look where it brought us." Yukiko said apologetically.

"Me too! From now on, I'll stick to scoring hot women!" Teddie assured, in turn receiving a hard blow from Yukiko's fan. As Yosuke and Teddie withered in pain, a hand patted my shoulder.

"You made quite a good first impression there, Naoto." Souji smiled, a slight smirk twitched in the corner of his mouth.

"I guess that came from you, leader." I responded with a quick laugh.

* * *

"It was simply horrifying, and the way she said it, it was like…" Rise chatted nonstop with a giggling Yukiko. I rolled my eyes. It was lunchtime already, and Rise just couldn't keep her mouth shut. She even called me 'Miss Hero Detective' for the past few days. _'If she keeps that up, I'm going to have to tie up her mouth.'_ I thought roughly.

We were all crowded in the second year homeroom, Room 2-F. Because it was so noisy at lunchtime, PLUS with Rise's girly high-pitched voice and Yukiko's 'unique' laughing fit is what made my head spin in circles.

"Snrrk……BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! F-for real, Rise? I-I…I can't stand it anymore!! AHAHAHA!!!" Yukiko was on the verge of totally losing herself.

"Uh…can you stop it already? I'm havin' a headache here." Kanji complained, holding his head in his hands all the while.

"O-Oh……Oh, sorry, continue on, please. What were we going to talk about?" Yukiko urged, finally returning to her normal self.

"As I said, Yukiko-senpai," I resumed my original idea. "I was thinking about having a doctor examine Teddie."

"A doctor?" Yosuke questioned surprisingly.

"You mean a vet…?" Yukiko asked.

I sweated a little. "The normal kind, actually, considering that the doctor is going to examine the 'human' Teddie. If you're all free, I've scheduled a check-up for him after school today. A thorough physical examination might be a good first step in figuring out what Teddie is. And I thought it might be a good idea for the rest of us to get checkups as well."

"H-Huh? Why?" Chie asked with a confused look on her face. "Are we sick or what?"

"We should see if the fog over there or the power we've gained have had any negative effects on our health. Since you all have been active on the other side far longer than I have, you should definitely be examined."

"Negative effects!?" Yosuke cried out in alarm. "D-don't drop scary stuff on us like it's nothing…"

"Well, yeah…I never even thought about that." Souji said thoughtfully.

"So it's decided then." I said triumphantly.

"Wow, you're on the ball about all this…are you sure you're not an adult?" Rise inquired, obviously interested by my mature thoughtfulness.

"Your height's a big giveaway, though." Yosuke winked.

My mood dropped several more points as Yosuke said that. I decided to ignore that, and not let my temper get the better of me. "Well, I'll see you all after school." I immediately broke away and walked down to my own class.

* * *

"Uh, are you sure 'bout this? I mean…I'm never really good around hospitals…" Kanji grumbled.

"Come on Kanji, admit it, if it weren't for Naoto who recommended this you'd never had come, wouldn't you?" Rise giggled. "Oh Kanji, you're so cute."

"H-hey! Quit that!!" Kanji blushed furiously.

"So, who'll go first?" Yukiko asked. "How about you, Souji-kun?"

"Sure, I'll go in first." Souji agreed without a second thought.

"Then I'll go next." I smiled. This was going out pretty smoothly.

After the checkups, the group were all standing on front of the health examination results room, while me and Teddie were waiting inside the room for the checkups. I was able to hear my friends' conversation outside the door.

"That was just an ordinary checkup." Yosuke said bluntly.

"Yeah, I was kinda lookin' forward to getting into some gigantic machine and being spun around." Kanji scoffed. Well, okay, it wasn't _that_ smooth. Hey, I never said it was going very smoothly.

"Was there really a point to all of this? The doctors looked confused, too…" Rise said worriedly.

"Oh, they're back!" Yukiko exclaimed.

Teddie went out first, tucking the results inside his shirt pocket while I followed behind, closing the door behind me. Before we went out however, I consulted a little while with the doctor and what I found out…was quite astonishing.

"I'm very sorry for the wait." I apologized.

"I'm beary sorry for the wait." Teddie mimicked.

"So did they find out anything about Teddie?" Yosuke asked curiously.

"They did indeed…they found out that they can't tell anything about him," I responded, while everyone seemed surprised. "I even had them take an X-Ray, but absolutely nothing came up on it. No matter how many times they tried, it would always be too blurry to read." Now they were all startled.

"A visual examination and standard palpations indicated that he seems perfectly normal. Since the machine could be malfunctioning, they told me to try another hospital if we're still worried about him. I felt bad for making them go through all this." I sighed.

"So, he is different…" Yukiko said in awe.

"Oh my, what should I do?" Teddie said patheticly. "They took a look at everything inside me."

Chie rolled her eyes. "She just said they couldn't see anything on the X-Ray, you dork."

"But at least they didn't find anything wrong with him, right?" Kanji asked. "Man, we know much about Teddie as we do those Personas and Shadows…"

"Oh yeah, I tried looking them up at the library and on the net," Yosuke spoke again. "Persona means something like…another personality. And I think they listed 'Shadows' under the related terms…"

"Shadows are shadows…I think they're something that comes out of people…um, I can't really explain…" Teddie struggled with his own words.

"I performed my own research after the incident. 'Persona' and 'Shadow' are common psychological terms. Of course, the ones we're familiar with don't quite fit in those definitions. This was what's written in an unofficial project document that I happened to come across. A Shadow is a suppressed power, and when controlled by one's ego, it becomes a Persona." I explained, completely understanding the meaning of those two words.

" 'It becomes a Persona…' What, does that mean they're basically the same thing?" Kanji sighed in exasperation. "Then again, all those Shadows we beat the shit out of did turn into Personas…ahh, who cares about the details…...it doesn't matter what they are, if they get in our way, I'll crush'em."

"Still, I couldn't find any info on how they're related to the other world." I said tiredly.

"*sigh* There's so much stuff about us that we don't have a clue about…" Rise said helplessly.

"There's something we do know, though." Teddie said, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Hmhmhm…I got a bunch of awesome data with me."

I raised an eyebrow. _'Awesome data? What in the world…-' _I gasped as I had a dreadful feeling of what it might be.

"It's kinda embarrassing that I'm the only one who had personal details shown to the world, so…" he reached into his shirt pocket and took out a bulging envelope that had _everyone's _results in it. "TADAAA!!! Nowadays, information wants to be free! Therefore, I'll break the ice by announcing the results of everyone's physical exams!"

My eyes felt like it was going to bulge out any moment. _'THAT…LITTLE…BEAR!!!'_ I growled silently. I thought that I had already put it in my bag for safekeeping. So that sneaky bear was the one who took it out. Damn him. My fists clenched. _'No, I must…stay…calm…'_

I took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Wha-!? Oh no you won't! Give 'em to me, NOW!!" Chie fought back the urge to strangle him as she paced quickly towards Teddie, who was fully aware of that and was walking at the same pace around me, with Chie close behind, in circles.

"Oooh…First place in the 'shortest legs division' is…...Huh, who woulda guessed?!" Teddie practically shouted out the results while walking, a little while later coming to a halt.

"Teddie…" I started to say in the most strict and firm voice that I could muster.

"H-hey, it's not me is it? What kind of things do they examine, anyway?" Yosuke cut in. He suddenly grinned. "Look…if you're gonna blab it all…You might wanna tell us the girls' measurements."

Me, Yukiko and Chie twitched violently and glared at Yosuke with a hint of intent murder in our eyes.

"WHAT?! Are you a complete and utter moron!?" Chie snapped harshly.

"Huh? Oh sure, go right ahead. My profile's been public knowledge for ages. Oh, but my bust size is 2cm smaller than they print. My agency insisted." Rise added casually.

"N-No! Don't say mine!" Yukiko gasped.

"Aww, I bet guys won't care what size you are, senpai. And having modestly sized breasts like yours would definitely make it easier to wear a kimono." Rise commented.

"Wh-what…!?" Yukiko squeaked while blushing.

"Oh yeah, Naoto-kun's is in here too, huh? Umm, let's see…Naoto-kun's is…" Rise hummed as she flipped through the files. I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move a single muscle.

"Hmmm……She's…...HUH?!?!" Rise cried out. "Is this…for real? Wait, isn't this measured wrong? Naoto-kun, your bust size is…-"

There was no way I was going to let this out like last time. NO WAY IN FRIGGIN' HELL. Okay, those were my too deep inner thoughts. I approached Rise and, with one hand clamping over Rise's mouth, and the other snatching the documents away from her hands. I swear, if she keeps blurting things out like this with her big mouth…

I tried desperately to change the subject.

"A-Anyways!" I stammered lightly, a faint blush forming. "The important thing is that according to the examination results, nothing's wrong with our health. So we won't be needing these anymore!!" I paused for a dramatic effect.

"I'm going to go shred them!" I said breathlessly. Then I turned on my heels and ran away as fast as my legs would go, looking out for the nearest trash bin. Today, I nearly made the second biggest mistake in the entire history of my life.

* * *

**This chapter was both exciting and dreadful for me at the same time!! I had to go as far as to look up the words 'persona' and 'shadows' in the megaten wiki…huuhh this was tiring, well, RnR, please!XD**


	5. The Day Before The Dreadful Weekend

**Hello, again. The group are slacking off for too long until the very last minute, and the midterms are tomorrow! How will they endure this test? Please R&R!!**

**Oh and before I forget again, in the last two chapters I mentioned that the next chapter was going to have hints about the culture festival, but instead it turned out to be about the health examinations. I decided to delay it, because I remembered that there was the health exams BEFORE the fest, and I figured that it would be fun to write, and I don't want you all to miss it, well...anyways, my apologies. I promise this next chapter is going to feature the festival.**

**So enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

"You do realize that the day after tomorrow until Friday is the midterms," I warned the others a few days after the 'checkups'. "Shouldn't you all be studying?"

"Chill, Naoto. We still have tomorrow left to study," Yosuke munched on his burger at Junes. It was after school, and I just happened to pass by Yosuke in Junes while I was buying some things that Yakushiji-san requested. Not long after that, Chie walked over, and we decided to relax at our 'special headquarters' before heading home. "It's not the end of the world yet. Have you studied?"

"As a matter of fact, we did," Chie scoffed. "Remember, when you all went into the TV world and we stayed behind? And anyways, did you guys already forget the tragedy of last time's 'studying'? If you all had been nice and obedient little students, I'm sure it wouldn't have happened."

"Chie, I already told you I was sorry, just....DAMMIT!!! I was trying so hard to forget about it..." Yosuke groaned, while messing up his already tousled hair. "Argh fine fine, we'll study tomorrow, 'kay?"

Chie raised up an eyebrow, a sign that urged him to go on.

"...Seriously. We'll study nice and proper, like the 'obedient students' you just talked about." Yosuke completely gave in. I stifled a laugh. Really, Chie always knew how to handle Yosuke. _'They're perfect for each other.'_ I thought as I admired their closeness. I wondered who _I _was going to end up with. Probably no one at all. But maybe...

My mind drifted back to the subject of studying. "Then I'll tell Souji-kun and the others tomorrow, too. Just get ready," I looked at my watch. "Oh no! It's getting late already, I need to deliver the groceries back home! Uh, I'll be going back now." I said my farewells to them as I walked home.

* * *

It was early in the morning. The birds chirped and the clouds were an enchanting blue. It seemed like it could stretch on forever. Leaves were falling from trees, a sign that Autumn was beginning. A cool breeze went by, ruffling them as it went. I breathed in the air. It was so refreshing at this time of day. I didn't walk to school this often, so I couldn't always do this. I was always dropped at school in a car by Yakushiji-san. It just happened that I wanted to feel the wind in my face. _'I should just walk to school more often.'_ I thought with a relaxed smile on my face.

"Hey! Naoto!" a voice called out from behind. I turned around, spotting Souji as he ran up panting towards me.

"Oh hello, Souji-kun," I greeted warmly as he stopped and wiped the sweat off his brow. "You shouldn't be in such a hurry. You could just call and walk up to me, it's not that I'll go anywhere."

"No, it's okay, I also wanted to do that for some time now. Anyway, it's rare to see you walking to school, and not being escorted by your secretary." Souji grinned as he said the word _escorted_.

I chuckled softly. "Don't talk to me like I'm a landmistress or something. Really, I just wanted to feel the fresh air once in a while. So, shall we keep going?" I gestured, and we walked together in silence. Not because we didn't know what to say, but rather to enjoy the air.

As we reached the school gates, it was getting crowded, and before Souji disappeared in the crowds, I called out to him, "Souji-kun!!"

He turned around and blinked at me curiously. "What is it?"

"We have midterms tomorrow, right? Have you studied?" Souji nodded his head in a yes. I continued. "How about we all meet after school at the 'special headquarters'? Even though you've already studied, it won't hurt to review it again. I promise the thing that happened last time won't happen again."

Souji agreed, but still, a wave of doubt flashed through his eyes. I sighed. _'It's so hard to convince him. But I really do hope that nothing happens later on.'_

* * *

_**DING...DONG...DING...DONG...**_

I stacked my textbooks in one pile and stuffed them all into my schoolbag. There was no need to sort it out, since I'll take them out again later.

As I walked out of my classroom, a pair of hands tackled me from the front. I was startled, as a familiar perfume scent drifted into my nose. "R-Rise-san!!" I gasped, as I unhooked her arms from me. "Please don't startle me like that."

"Naoto-kun!!! Oh Naoto, what should I do?!" Rise shrieked, with a trembling tone. "T-The midterms a-are tomorrow, and I haven't s-studied at all!!"

"Calm down, Rise-san. We're all meeting at Junes now to study, and you can come along too." I said guiltily, realizing I forgot to tell Rise and Kanji.

"Oh, why haven't you told me sooner!? Oh, there's Kanji!!" Rise yelled, waving her hands. "HEY KANJI, WE'RE GOING TO JUNES TO STUDY, HURRY UP AND DON'T BE SUCH AN OLD HAG!!!"

* * *

As the three of us arrived at the Junes foodcourt, the second-years were already there, plus Nanako-chan and Teddie-in his human form-.

"Yo." Kanji said as he approached the table as we followed behind.

"Wow, everyone's here already!" Rise returned to her usual, cheery voice.

"So many people!" Nanako stared at each one of us in interest.

As we sat down and opened our textbooks, Teddie started a conversation.

"Why are you all here?" he asked in surprise.

"Exam study group," Yosuke replied reluctantly. "Huhh...Times like these, I'm jealous of Teddie."

"Come on now, let's start with proving the trigonometric identities." Yukiko was as eager as ever to start.

"Argh...jumping straight to math..." Chie groaned.

"Our's is the section on functions, right? Where we find the area of the triangle given two sides and-" Rise trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Huh? You find the area of a triangle with...You know, that thing," Kanji tried to explain. "Uhh, base by height by 2?"

Rise shook her head slightly, wondering how she and Kanji could be so clueless.

"If you don't mind, shall I teach you?" I directed my question at Kanji, who panicked slightly.

"Oh? Are you as smart as I thought? Could you uh...lend me a hand too?" Yosuke asked flirtiously.

"Oh, umm...I wouldn't know where to begin with second year subjects." I faltered.

"Aww...what's up with that? Useless after all..." Yosuke sighed depressingly, and pressed heavily on the word 'useless'.

Oh, no. Definitely a big no-no. I will absolutely NOT tolerate anyone who offends me like that.

"DON'T CALL ME USELESS!!" I snapped angrily at him, for a second my normal voice replaced with a very feminine one.

"Hehehe...I think I've figured out which buttons to push to get Naoto-kun get all riled up," Yosuke chuckled heartily. "You're pretty cute when you're angry."

I instantly became red in the face. I wanted to take out my revolver and shoot him to bits with it, but I knew that I would never do such a thing in public, over such a silly little thing.

"Wh-What are you talking about!?" I looked away in embarrassment and concentrated on other things instead.

"That's it, I quit. This just ain't my thing...The hell with exams. 's time for my animal crackers." Kanji decided.

"Oooh, can I have some too? I wanna find that penguin!" Rise cheered up all of a sudden.

"Hands off the penguin, it's mine!!" Kanji replied roughly.

"Huuuh...forget it, I can't think..." Yosuke sighed in frustration.

Time passed, as we took our time to converse with each other. I eventually forgived Yosuke, because he really didn't mean it. And besides, I'm not the type of person to hold a grudge for unnecessary reasons. But I warned him, if he dares do that again, he'll know what'll come next. Luckily, he understood, and Chie was dumbstruck to see that Yosuke quickly became tame towards me.

Then Nanako spoke up, "Teddie said he doesn't know who he is. That's so weird.

"...My life on this side is really fun," Teddie said, with a hint of sadness in his tone. "But the more I feel that way, the more I want to know who I really am...I've surfed the net, read manga, watched TV...I even went to a place called the _libary_, but I still can't find anything about me..."

"Dude, I'd be surprised if you did." Yosuke said casually.

"Still, I'm starting to get an idea..." Teddie wondered.

"An idea?" Yukiko was curious.

"Whoa, isn't this your first time sharing a theory about yourself?" Chie remarked.

"I lived in that other world. That was my reality...But now I have a feeling it was born from the minds of people on this side...and over that place filled with shadows, I think I was some sort of special being..." Teddie spilled out his thoughts.

"A 'special being'?" Yosuke asked in interest.

"I don't remember anything from back then, though...maybe it's that 'amnesia' thing I read about in a book the other day." Teddie pondered with his knowledge.

"It's true, there are some aspects of the other world that make it seem as though it's rooted in human thoughts," I replied, after listening to every word he said. "Still, there's no point in applying the principles of logic and deduction to a place like that. But the fact you existed in such a world from the beginning adds credibility to your theory," I glanced at Teddie before continuing.

"There is little doubt that you are a 'special being' on the other side. If you yourself know nothing about it, perhaps it's true that part of your memory is missing. Tell me, what is the earliest memory you can call to mind?"

"It's from a while ago, I've always lived there, as far as I can tell," Teddie responded thoughtfully. "Then it started to get noisy, so when I happened to bump into Sensei and Yosuke, I asked them to do something about it..."

"I see...if you've always been on the other side, you'd have no sense of time or days..." I acknowledged.

Nanako fidgeted a little, which meant she didn't really understand what was going on. Chie, who noticed this, spoke up.

"Oops, that's right! Nanako-chan's completely clueless about all this! I'm sorry, Nanako-chan, we didn't mean to leave you out..."

It seemed that girl wasn't left out at all. While we talked, she only listened and tried to guess what Teddie was this whole time.

"Hey...I think Teddie must be a King. I read in a story that the King was alone inside a forest because of a bad guy's curse. Isn't that what happened to you, Teddie?" Nanako voiced her opinions.

"A King...well!! When you put it that way, it sounds about right..." Teddie considered.

"Teddie..? A King..?" Yukiko paused. I was pretty sure this would turn out into one of her trademark laughing fits. "Ahahahaha, I can see him wearing a cape...ahahahaha!!"

"Sheesh, Yukiko...you go into laughing fits in front of anyone now..." Chie sighed.

"Can we...not talk about Teddie being a King..?" Kanji stated awkwardly.

"Hm? What's with that face?" Yosuke questioned.

"Teddie really was a King. There were all these other Kings too, and we all-" Teddie smirked.

Everyone suddenly realized in horror what he was talking about.

"Hey...he's talking about what happened at the club!" Chie whispered frantically. "Quiet, you! Not in front of Nanako-chan!!"

"H-Hey, how about we buy some drinks, Nanako-chan? I'm sure you're thirsty!" I suggested with a timid expression on my face.

"We'll come, too!" Yukiko, Rise, Chie, Yosuke and Kanji joined in.

"We'll wait here." Teddie and Souji replied.

It promises to be a hectic afternoon.

* * *

Monday...the first day of the exams, all goes well.

Tuesday...the second day of the exams, I only encountered a few problems.

Wednesday...the third day of the exams, and things are heating up.

Thursday...the last day of the exams, everyone was frustated and banging their heads against tables, I managed to stay calm.

...A few days later, the results were posted. I was in class looking out of the window when Rise came barging in.

"Na-Naoto!! Where are you?" Rise glanced around until she spotted me. "Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you were. Anyway, wanna go see the test results? I heard they already posted it in the bulletin board!"

"...You haven't seen it yet?" I asked.

"N-No..." Rise said sheepishly, while rubbing the back of her head. "I-I'm not really up to it if I go alone...will you come with me?"

"Sure," I agreed, as I rose from my seat and went outside.

There was a crowd forming around the bulletin board. They were matching and comparing their scores. It was very noisy. When they caught a glimpse of me, however, everyone became silent. I wondered why and approached the board. I looked at the sheet of paper tacked up by a pin.

"Y-You're...OH...MY...GOSH, NAOTO YOU GOT THE HIGHEST SCORE!!! In the ENTIRE grade!" Rise squealed unbelievably. "And I'm..." she trailed her finger down until she found her name. "...30 ranks below you." she whimpered. "Kanji's is 2 ranks lower than me. Well, at least we're not the lowest. But geez, Naoto, you really hit the jackpot there. Don't be surprised if you find love letters someday in your shoe box!"

I wasn't like the other students. Those who get the highest score will probably jump around and cheer like a wild hyena. But I didn't. I remained as I was. The only different thing was that I was grinning...just a little. Then I looked at the second years' results. At the very top-number one just like me-was Souji Seta. I was surprised.

"Aww...Souji-senpai also got the highest score," Rise pouted. "I was hoping he'd be around the same rank as me......hey, wait a minute..." she took a glance back and forth from my name to his. "HEY, YOU TWO MUST BE SOULMATES!!!!!!!" Rise gawked in complete surprise. She then realized what she had just said, and looked at me. She must have seen the dark murderous look on my face, because she backed away slowly, bowed slightly, and when at a safe distance, broke into a run.

I was seething in anger and embarrassment. But if it weren't for that tiny growing spark of affection for Souji somewhere inside of me, I would have chased her even to the end of the world.

* * *

**...I'm not going to say how long this chapter was. Anyway, please R&R. This next chapter is really going to be about the Cultural Fes. So make sure you don't miss it! Ahahaha...**


	6. CF pt 1, A New Link Is Formed

**Okay, this chapter will be the start of the Culture Festival (CF)! This is the part one...it also it the start of a new link! Who's is it? Read on!**

**

* * *

**

"...And that's all for today. Shirogane, are you listening?"

"...H-Huh?" I woke up with a start, not realizing that I fell asleep in class, something that I would never do. Some of the other students snickered and whispered to each other. "My apologies, uh, what were you talking about?"

The teacher sighed as she repeated her speech. "Really, Shirogane, I thought you'd know better than to fall asleep in class like that. This is very unlike you. You must promise me that you wouldn't do that again. Anyway, as I was saying, next week will be the culture festival, and I expect you all to come up with brilliant ideas on what to do in class. Whether that will be making a cafe, or a haunted house, it's your call." And with that, the teacher left the classroom.

"What? Does she really think we can do this on our own?" A student asked his friend.

"Argh, this is gonna be such a drag.." A girl groaned.

"I wonder what we should do.." Another student wondered out loud.

I sighed. There was really no need for these kinds of things, it was just going to be a waste of time. I gathered my things and strode to the door. I was just about to leave when I saw Rise standing in front of the window, lost in her own thoughts.

I approached her. "Hello there. Is something the matter?"

Rise yelped. "Wh-whoa!!! Hey, Naoto. You nearly gave me a heart-attack just now. Well..." Rise put the tip of her finger to her mouth. "I was just thinking about what my class is gonna do next week. Everyone in my class is arguing over it."

"I have no idea on what we're going to do, too," I agreed. "I just hope it's nothing too rash."

* * *

The next day, I knew something was wrong. When it was lunchtime, I happened to bump into Souji, and his expression was grave. Very grave indeed. He only said two words.

"Rooftop. Now." and then he took off.

When I arrived, everyone was there already. The atmosphere was unusually tense. Did something happen? As I came nearer, I noticed an envelope in Souji's hand.

"What's that in your hand, senpai? Is it a threatening letter of some sort?" I asked cautiously.

"Precisely," Souji replied simply. "Here, take a look." he opened the envelope and held out the letter for everyone to see.

" 'don't rescue anymore'..." I read out loud. "Is this a warning?" Everyone became alert.

"No punctuation or capitalization.....What a cliche." Chie commented.

"Ain't this just a prank? Th-The kinda stuff that only happens in the movies?" Kanji laughed nervously.

"Hm...Did you show this to your uncle?" Yosuke inquired.

Souji shook his head, with a smug smile on his face. "Of course not. I don't plan to."

"Senpai...Dojima-san is trustworthy, but it may be best to keep this to ourselves," I suggested. "He will ask why you recieved such a letter, and is he were to put you under surveillance, our hands would be tied."

I sighed inwardly. "If this letter is real, what's most important isn't what it says...It's the fact that it was delivered to the Dojima residence, addressed directly to you. This means the culprit knows in great detail who has been interfering with his crimes......And of all of us, he chose to deliver his message to the Dojima Residence, home of a police detective. I'd have this letter checked at a crime lab if I could...But even then, I doubt they'd find anything.

"The text is a warning, while the subtext expresses the culprit's confidence that we can't use it to pinpoint his identity." I continued after I took a breath.

"So it's useless to tell the police...In fact, that would make things worse." Chie summarized.

"Cross your fingers it's just a prank..." Yosuke mumbled loud enough for us to hear.

"I think the chances of that are slim...This message is too specific, too perfect to be a prank." Yukiko denied. All of us bowed our heads down in frustration. "But how could the killer know so much about us? Could he be watching us from somewhere...?" Yukiko wondered.

"Teddie's been saying for a while that when we're over there, he senses someone watching us..." Yosuke said quietly. Suddenly, he realized something. "Wait...Every time we went to the other side to rescue someone, did we end up on the Midnight Channel ourselves...?"

"I-I dunno...It seems like no one else knows what we're doing," Chie answered. "I haven't heard any rumors about us at school. Even the people who I know check that channel haven't said anything...The only gossip I heard was about the people who disappeared."

"I see...Come to think of it, how the Midnight Channel works is still a mystery..." Yosuke said.

There was no use concerning ourselves with confusing things that confuse us even more, it would just make us fall into the killer's trap, so I spoke again.

"Let's put aside for now the matter of what that world really is. There's too little data to go on. For now, we need to keep in mind that the culprit knows who we are. As long as we're all aware of that, it will be okay for now."

"Yeah...Guess there's no use thinking about stuff we don't understand," Yosuke agreed. "Freaking out over speculation is just what the killer wants us to do...right?"

"Yeah...Yeah, you're right," Souji said with a small nod. "We'll have to wait until the situation changes."

"Alright! Mind if I change the subject, then?" Chie grinned. "The Culture Festival's just around the corner. What's our class doing again?"

"My class hasn't decided yet. They're arguing over which activity suits their's best. At this rate we'll go nowhere." Rise sighed.

"Oh yeah, it hasn't been decided yet, huh?" Yosuke confirmed.

"I heard we'll be voting on it soon...But aren't they still gathering ideas?" Yukiko stated as a-matter-of-factly.

"...Aha!!!" Yosuke cried out suddenly, a wild grin on his face.

"Whoa...I think Yosuke just got hit with a bolt of inspiration," Chie said worriedly. "Whatever it is, it'll be out there. I'd bet my lunch on it."

Rise stood up from her seat and looked at Souji with a wide smile. "Hey Senpai, have you decided who you'll be going around the campus with during the festival?" She giggled flirteously before continuing. "My schedule's still _wide_ open, you LUCKY GUY!"

Souji sweated a little as he stammered. "...Uh...um, yeah..O-Ok.."

"Urgh...She just had to say something..." Chie moaned. We all talked a bit more before heading back to our classes.

* * *

I was so absorbed in these murder cases lately, that I've attracted quite some attention to myself. Yakushiji-san definitely did.

"Naoto-sama? Is something wrong? Lately, you've been lpreoccupied with something while eating and doing homework and others. Is there something bothering you?" he asked worriedly.

"No, no. I'm fine, Yakushiji-san. I just....have a lot on my mind, that's all." I lied. It was true actually, I've been spacing out lately when I'm doing something, or when someone talks to me. But I can't let anyone worry about me, not now.

"Very well then. Please talk to me if you need anything. I would be happy to help." he answered.

"Thank you, though I won't be needing any furthur assistance from you," I replied gently. "Well then, goodnight."

* * *

It was after-school, and I was standing in front a small bulletin board across the corridor from my classroom. Even though I was looking at it, my mind was somewhere else. No one seemed to care though, as they were occupied with their own respective business. I haven't seen Rise all day, and Kanji said he need to hurry home to help his mother. The second years are probably somewhere else...

"Hi there."

Ever since the murder cases started, I felt my life turn at some point. But, this killer. What was his motive? What were his true intentions? All of these thoughts kept bugging me, and I can't seem to brush it away until the time to think about it came.

"...Helloo? Earth to Naoto?"

I don't get this at all. The sooner we find the culprit, the better-

A hand pinched my cheek hardly and I cried out in surprise. I slapped it off and rubbed my sore cheek. I glared up at the person who did it.

"Whoops, didn't think that it would hurt that much." Souji smirked.

"Souji-kun! You know it's not polite to go pinching whoever you like!" I snapped a little roughly.

"I could if that were the only way to get your attention. Hey, what's up with you today? You look kinda down." Souji asked, concerned.

"Nothing...I mean, a lot's on my mind lately. It's about the murder cases," I confessed. "And sorry for snapping at you."

"Care to explain?"

"N-No, it's nothing really, just about the murder cases. So, what brings you here, senpai? It's rare of you to see me here."

"Actually, there is something I want to show you. Here," Souji handed me a card.

"What's this...?" I asked curiously. "A card?"

"A man in black told me to give this to you," Souji explained. "He said you'd understand."

"He said I'd understand? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused. Who was this man in black?

"Excuse me...but could you please accompany me for a brief period...? I'd like to hear more about what transpired when you were given this card." I requested.

"Sure. Whatever you say." Souji shrugged lightly.

* * *

We were sitting in the gazebo at the Samegawa Flood Plains. I was staring intently at the card, trying to figure out a clue or two. I glanced up at Souji.

"I apologize. I wanted to talk someplace quiet..." I said apologetically. "So, what sort of person gave this to you?"

"Well, I guess it was a man who knew I knew you." Souji said simply.

"Which means...it's possible that he's been snooping around, gathering information on you or me...or even the case," I sighed miserably. "The man must also know you well. He wouldn't have entrusted the delivery to anyone he didn't know..." Souji grunted in response.

"But this is a small town...He could easily have looked up my address. Why go to the trouble of giving the letter to you...? Intriguing." I nodded to myself, half enjoying and half dreading this new distraction. "Is he involved with this case? Or another case altogether...? If it's me he's after, he could be anyone."

"I see. So," Souji gestured toward the card. "What are you going to do with it?"

"Oh, I'll keep the card," I replied. "The man is most likely still here in Inaba. I cannot drag you furthur into this." I can solve this by myself. I don't need anyone else concerning themselves in the matter, especially the leader, who must have other more important businesses to take care of.

But, to my surprise, he answered, "Let's go home together."

"Hm...?" I was slightly shocked. "Are you...worried about me?" I looked sideways. "I'm sorry, I seem to have a tin ear for other peoples' feelings...Yosuke-san told me so before." I looked back at him, who was calmly looking at me. "I'll look into this card and report my findings to you. So...don't worry about me. As our leader...I know you have a lot on your shoulders, so..."

This was unlike me. I was _worried_ about him. Back when I first met him, didn't care about him at all, besides the case. I never bothered worrying for anybody. Souji seemed taken aback by this as well, but he quickly recovered and smiled softly. I felt...happy. For some reason, I felt a bond quickly forming between me and Souji. Someday I was sure, if I nurtured it, it'll grow, little by little.

We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting until it was time for me to go home. Souji offered to walk me home. I tried to refuse politely, but he insisted, so I gave in.

* * *

It was Sunday, and the day after tomorrow would be the Culture Festival. My class decided to host a video room as their main activity. Really, I hoped it would be more. I spent some time studying the card, but it held no clues at all. It was just a normal, white card.

I was still intrigued about this, so I decided to call Souji. Just before I dialed his number, the phone rang. I picked it up.

"Hello, this is the Shirogane Residence. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Hey Naoto, it's me."

"Huh? Souji-kun?" I held the reciever closer to my ear. "I was just about to contact you on behalf of yesterday."

"Yesterday, huh? Sure, I was just about to ask the same thing. I'm pretty intrigued about the card as well," he chuckled. "Then let's meet at yesterday's place, ok?"

I nodded and hung up the phone. When I exited the Shirogane Estate, I made sure to bring the card.

* * *

"Okay, let's get down to business," I said all business-like. "As you can see, nothing is written on it. It's just a plain, white card. But it does feel a bit stiff, given its thinness...Without any indication of its contents, however, I have no idea who sent it." I sighed. "I'd chalk it up as a prank."

"Hey, that's no fun." Souji whined a little.

I laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, One would expect there to be more." I was smiling childishly, and Souji grinned at the sight.

Suddenly, my cellphone rang. I mumbled an excuse to Souji and fumbled a bit clumsily around my pocket for my cellphone. _'It's Yakushiji-san.'_ I thought.

"Yes, it's me."

"Thank god. I really need to speak with you, Naoto-sama." he replied urgently.

"Ahh, Yakushiji-san. What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid a thief has broken in. I'm sorry, I was out shopping and when I came back-"

"A thief?" I interrupted. "...In the Shirogane Estate?"

"It seems your room was the one the thief was after, because when I checked, your room was ransacked."

"Yes...Yes, I see."

"Do you keep anything in your room that's valuable?"

"No, I don't keep anything on the room that I'd miss terribly. You have reported this to the police, I assume? Then I'll leave the rest to you. As long as Grampa is safe, it doesn't matter. I can't take my eyes off this case yet." Then I hung up. Souji, who was listening this whole time, asked, "What was that about?"

"Oh...Sorry. You heard, didn't you...?" I smiled wrily. "That was from my Grampa's secretary, Yakushiji-san...It appears someone has broken into the Shirogane Estate. My room was targeted, and he wanted to know if I could think of any particular item the thief might have been after. Several items pertaining to me were also stolen from Grampa's inventory. I don't know about those, but my belongings aren't of any particular value, so..."

"Remember that card?" Souji gestured his head toward the card.

"Yes, that's precisely what I was thinking..." I nodded. "Regardless, you don't have to worry about me. We both have more pressing matters to attend to." I suddenly felt over-conscious. "I'm not sure how to react to your...e-err...worrying about me." I scratched my head, forcing a small laugh. But I had this feeling that as long as he was with me, nothing would be impossible to do. I felt our bond getting one step closer.

* * *

**Next chapter will be part 2, plus a hot bathing experience! Ehehehe*starts getting impure thoughts*(nah just kidding, I'm not like that). So please RnR!!XD**


	7. CF pt 2, Deep Trouble

**Part 2 is here! This is gonna be very exciting...teehehehe...**

**There are going to be 3 parts to the Culture Festival.**

**Please r&r!**

* * *

It was Monday, and the sky was clear of clouds, which was normally a good sign. As I neared my shoe-locker, I found a stack of letters inside. _'What...it's just love letters. And they were all from GIRLS.'_ I shook my head disgustingly. Even though the whole school already knew I was a girl, yet they still send me this horrendously ridiculous love-letters. Don't they have any better stuff to do? I sighed as I threw them into the nearest trashbin.

An unusual crowd was surrounding the school's main bulletin board, bickering to themselves loudly. The topic they were talking about? None other than the Culture Festival. It seems the school is hosting a main activity called a Beauty Pageant, which everyone was looking forward to. I mean, what is a Beauty Pageant anyway? People competing with each other on who has the most beautiful structure? I scoffed. Like anyone would be that stupid to sign themselves up. But I was curious myself. Amidst the crowds I spotted Kanji.

"Hello, Kanji," I greeted as I walked up to him. "What're you doing?"

"O-Oh, Hey, N-Naoto," he stammered. He looked at me in an I-can't-believe-you look. "I-I was just, uh, lookin' at the board. And...uh, how should I put this...err...I-I never knew that you...you......Aw crap, just look for yourself!" he pointed desperately to the board. I rolled my eyes as I approached the bulletin board. A paper was tacked on the wall. It read:

_THE MISS YASOGAMI HIGH BEAUTY PAGEANT! _

_Host: Ms. Kashiwagi_

_Contestants: 1. Noriko Kashiwagi_

_2. Hanako Ohtani_

_3. Yukiko Amagi_

_4. Chie Satonaka_

_5. Rise Kujikawa _

_6. Naoto Shirogane_

My eyes practically bugged out as I read the last contestant. No sooner was I about to rip it into shreds that Chie and Yukiko came along.

"Yo, Naoto! Whatcha doin'?" Chie asked casually. I assumed she didn't expect a thing. Nor did Yukiko.

"Hm? What's this?" Yukiko examined the paper on the board. "Oh, it's the participants for this year's beauty pageant. I wonder how many signed up."

"Oh yeah, lemme see," Chie observed, smirking afterwards. "Look at this! On top of planning it, Ms Kashiwagi's also gonna be in it. Oh and check this out, there's Hanako's name!" she suppressed a sneer. "When will she ever give up? How many are joining, anyway? One, two...wow, there's a lotta signups here. I'm surprised that a lot of people took an interest...-WHAATT!!??" Chie screeched disbelievingly. "Why the hell's our name there?! I never signed up for this!!!"

"Neither did I," Yukiko said with a grim expression on her face. "But I have a pretty good idea who did."

"THAT JERK!!! Just wait 'till I get my hands on him..." Chie stomped her foot in annoyance. She spotted Kanji who was still near us. "Kanji! Spread the word to the others to meet up at the roof at Lunchtime!!" Chie fumed.

Kanji knew better than to aggravate three already upset women, so he just said, "S-Sure thing, senpai!" and bounded upstairs.

* * *

Me, Yukiko, and Chie were already waiting at the roof when the others arrived. Chie was tapping her foot impatiently and Yukiko was trying her very best to stay calm.

"Yooo..." Yosuke waved as the others followed behind. "Whassup?"

As soon as he said that, Chie marched up, cornered him to a wall and spoke with sarcasm in her voice. I swore that I felt a tremble on the ground beneath me. She rested both her clenched hands on her hips a bit stiffer than usual. "You better have a DAMN good explanation for this!!"

"F-For what?" Yosuke replied innocently.

Chie threw her hands into the air wildly while groaning. "URGH, the Beauty Pageant! You wrote down our names without telling us, didn't you?!"

"N-No, it wasn't me! Why do you always automatically blame me?!" Yosuke protested loudly.

In response, Chie and Yukiko edged closer to Yosuke, a dark aura forming around them. Yosuke tried again.

"I-I mean, if you don't wanna do it, you just say no, right? Like it was just a joke."

"We wouldn't be pissed if we could do that!!" Chie hissed. "You know what Kashiwagi's like!! With her planning this year's event, even those who got entered by other people can't back out!"

"Seriously? Must've been something in the fine print that I've overlooked..." Yosuke let down his guard unconsciously.

Chie let out a gasp of horror as she stamped her foot a few times. "So it WAS you!!!"

Yosuke stumbled backwards as he realized what he just said. "Oh crap...!" he muttered. Then the three of them engaged in an argument battle between life and death.

"Hey...Do you want us to take part in the Beauty Pageant?" Rise turned to me.

Before I could answer, however, Yosuke cut in. "W-Well, yeah. I mean, you guys know how popular Yukiko is here. And on top of that, we have an idol AND a Detective Prince. What's the point in having a beauty pageant if all these incredible heroines aren't going to take part!?"

"So where do I fit in!?" Chie gritted her teeth. "ARGH.....well excuuse ME for not fitting in!!" Most of us rolled our eyes.

"Hey, you want them to be in it too, don'tcha, Kanji!?" Yosuke demanded an answer from Kanji a bit too forcefully.

"Huh...?" Kanji answered weirdly. "I-I ain't interested in that stuff..." he took a glance at me, and once he caught my eye, he turned away. I was a bit curious at this. Was he always this shy around girls?

Unfortunately Yosuke noticed this, and took the opportunity to reply. "Naoto-kun...Kanji-kun says he really wants you to be in it." Yosuke teased with a big grin plastered on his face.

"Wha--?! I-I didn't say nothin!" Kanji shook his fist at Yosuke with an obvious blush on his face. I decided to ignore that.

"What about you?" Yosuke turned his head toward Souji, who'd been keeping quiet until now. "You want them to be in it, right?"

"Just enter the pageant, dammit." Souji stressed. God, I never knew that Souji was this kind of person.

"Hey...You guys are inching into the bandwagon with Yosuke, aren't you?" Chie said with a glare.

"So long as there are people looking forward to seeing me, I might as well put on a show for 'em," Rise said casually. She was taking this matter quite easily. "Of course, there's no need to involve my agency in this."

"Huh!? Rise, you--" Chie began saying.

"Th-That's right! That's the way to go!" Yosuke encouraged quickly. "Teddie's looking forward to it too. Actually, I think he was more excited than anyone. It was him who was pushing me to sign you all up."

"Ugh, so Ted's behind this too..." Chie shook her head unbelievably. It's pointless. This battle was already over. There was no other way we could get them to change their minds.

"We're in an awkward position..." I sighed with defeat in my voice. "If we can't refuse, I suppose there's no sense in arguing the point...But it seems ill-fitting for someone like me to get up on stage...I wonder if there's any way I could take it up with the school authorities..."

"I-I don't think it's a problem at all." Kanji stammered. "I-I mean, just do it! Ya know...Seriously!" I winced a little at his comeback.

"Dude...Looks like your blood's boiling more than usual..." Yosuke winced.

Rise giggled. "Silly Kanji. Just tell her you wanna see her on stage." she winked. "So, is it a deal? The four of us will be in the beauty pageant?"

"Wh-What are you saying?" I replied in a rush.

"Um...I beg you, please be in it," Kanji took another try. Was he that persistent to see me up on stage? "If you do, my, uh, doubts will finally be cleared...C'mon! Make me a man!" he wailed.

I was completely blank. "Doubts...? What are you talking about?" It was then he lost control.

"L-Look, just do it, dammit! I m-mean, you're an ace detective, aren't ya!?" Now he wasn't making any sense at all.

I took a step back in surprise. "Wha--?! What does that have to do with a beauty pageant?!" He was gasping for breath as he couldn't answer. We all ended the conversation with a hanging silence over our heads. It was clear, there was no way back out from this beauty pageant.

* * *

It was after school, and Chie approached me in a hurry.

"Hey Naoto, wait until you get a load of this!!" She jumped up and down impatiently, with a wide grin on her face. That was unusual. She was so furious this morning, but now...?

"I have to admit, that was a pretty nice idea, Chie," Yukiko approached us from nowhere. I looked at her curiously. "Since we can't back out from the pageant, Chie suggested that the boys join us for the ride." Yukiko winked.

"And when I spoke with the school authorities, they said it was a brilliant idea, since no one else wanted to sign up!!" Chie continued excitedly, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"You mean..." I broke off in astonishment.

"Yeah! Wait 'till you see tomorrow!"

* * *

It was the day of the festival, and a larger crowd was formed in front of the board. I took a closer look. Sure enough, there were their names on the board. It read:

_THE 'MISS' YASOGAMI HIGH PAGEANT!!_

_Host : Mr Kondo_

_Contestants : 1. Yosuke Hanamura_

_2. Souji Seta_

_3. Kanji Tatsumi_

I stifled a laugh. So this was what had been in Chie's mind. Very clever, I have to say.

"Hey Naoto," a voice called out. It was Yosuke and Souji. "Didn't think you'd be here. Anyway, what's with the crowd? Is there another pageant goin' on?" He pushed his way across the crowd until he could read the paper clearly.

"Haha, they're doing the cross-dressing pageant again this year? Man, they never learn, do they? Ooh, some people have signed up already. Hahah, man, what idiots would want to be in this thing?" I held back a small smile as Yosuke was about to find out.

"Let's see...Yosuke Hanamura......MEEEEEEE?!?!!" he yelped loudly. "Wait, and...Kanji Tatsumi!? Souji Seta...Dude, you're here too!!!"

"Huh?!" Souji jumped back. "What the...-" He paused to get a closer look.

"Wow, there's a lot of contestants. Didn't we only get, like, two people last year?" An impressed student asked.

"I heard this year, even if someone else signs you up, you can't back out." A disinterested student replied.

"Well, that's not cool...Hey, but what if they did sign themselves up?" the girl said.

"Eww...what a disturbing thought. Seriously, that's really wrong." another answered.

"Someone else signs them up...?" Yosuke muttered darkly, his eyebrows twitching violently.

Before he could say more, I quickly strode away to Chie's and Yukiko's class, just out of their sight. I could hear him saying, "It's them. They did this, all right." I also heard the both of them groan.

* * *

_"_Yo, Naoto, have you read it already?" Chie asked mischieviously. She was sitting on her desk, with Yukiko and Rise standing beside her, curious with what was going to happen.

"I sure have. Fortunately, they did too. Just wait until you see the look on their faces." I smirked, as I gestured towards the door, which slid open right after I spoke.

We pretended to be absorbed in each other's conversation as Yosuke and Souji walked up. Kanji followed in right after.

"You better have a DAMN good explanation for this!!" Yosuke yelled as soon as he reached our table with his arms crossed. It was exactly like what Chie said the other day.

"For what?" Now it was Chie's turn to answer innocently.

"For what, my ass! For signing us all up in the cross-dressing pageant! It was you, wasn't it!?" he growled as he pointed his finger accusingly at Chie.

"Ohh, yeah, that thing," Chie said wonderingly. "Rise-chan started saying, 'Let's all have fun with this!' so I didn't really have a choice. And Kashiwagi seems happy, too, now that there's more people involved in it."

Yosuke was on the verge of exploding. "You little...! This is cross-dressing! CROSS! DRESSING!" he shouted the word so loudly it rang in my ears. Kanji was pissed off as well as both started to shout out wave after wave of prostests and objections.

Chie stood from her seat and stopped in front of Yosuke. "Well, you're the one who started it!" She retorted. "It's because of you that we can't back out of the beauty pageant, so it serves you right!"

"That's beside the point." Yosuke hissed.

"Don't worry," Yukiko spoke up. "We'll make you absolutely enchanting. Okay?"

"That's not what's important here!" Yosuke protested.

"It's about a man's pride, dammit!!" Kanji cursed. He grinded his knuckles together.

"I'll give it my all." was Souji's unexpected answer. The other two boys were startled by this.

"Whoa, are you serious?!" Yosuke exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah, this has nothing to do with pride or any of that." Chie said, while moving her finger left and right, in a Nuh-uh way. "You know already, right? Once someone signs you up, you can't back out. If you've got a problem with that, go talk to Ms. Kashiwagi.

"Th-There's no way she's gonna listen!" Yosuke replied hopelessly.

Wha--!? Why're you giving up!?" Kanji was taken aback. "I ain't doin' this! Period!"

Now it was my turn to shine.

"I don't think it's a problem at all. Just do it, you know? Come on, Kanji-kun, I'm _begging _you." I mimicked what he said the other day. The others were stifling back laughter and Yukiko was snorting.

"Uh...I, ah..err..." he stammered. I was enjoying the look on his face. How evil I am.

"Kanji-kun, are you still okay as far as the mandatory attendance policy?" Yukiko asked as politely as she could. "I don't think it would be wise to disappoint a teacher too much."

"...You are a scary gal, you know that, senpai. You too, Naoto." he replied in utter defeat. We smiled to each other in response.

"Just leave it to us to dress you up." Chie spoke up. "Rise-chan's with us, too. There's no way you won't turn out pretty."

"Y-You're positive we'll turn out pretty...?"Kanji asked hesitantly.

"I guarantee it." Yukiko nodded.

"Hey, why are you suddenly fine with this?!" Yosuke said annoyingly.

"Well, if we gotta do this, might as well go all the way with it!" Kanji grinned while flexing his muscles.

"There's nothing manly about being a woman!" Yosuke sighed ineffectively. "I seriously refuse..."

"Kashiwagi's sure gonna be angry if you don't show up...Maybe you and Kanji-kun can be classmates next year!" she replied with a sneer.

"Wh-Why is this happeniiiing...?" Yosuke groaned. Chie and Yukiko looked at each other. "We all end up in the same boat, without out consent...What kinda joke is this...?" He said the last part with a very heavy tone.

"The exact same joke you pulled on us." Chie replied with the same heavy tone as Yosuke's. It made me want to laugh.

Suddenly, Yosuke's weary face brightened up. " 'I-If we gotta do this, might as well go all the way with it!' Ahahaha!" he shrugged anxiously with a nervous laugh. All of us bowed our heads down. We were all in the same boat this time.

* * *

_**'DING DONG**__...Attention all students. The 'Miss' Yasogami High Cross-Dressing beauty pageant is about to begin in half an hour. All participants are expected to be ready by then. I repeat...'_

The schools' headspeakers sounded in the entire school. We were crowding around a stall that was selling candy apples. I glanced at the other girls, and they nodded at me.

"It's time." I said, looking at the boys one by one as if to secure their presence. I didn't want them to run away when we were just about to have our fun. Luckily, they kept still and quiet.

"Okay, be good boys now." Chie said lightly.

We all walked into the second years' homeroom, where I closed the door and locked it to keep from any unwanted attention. Me, Chie, Yukiko and Rise walked to the middle of the room, while the boys stayed put.

"Why're you guys just standing there? Come on, hurry up and sit down." Chie said impatiently.

"C'mon Kanji-kun. Over here!" Rise called.

I gazed expectantly at them, urging them to do it. They grumbled for the final time and walked reluctantly to the front of the girls. The pairings were decided. Yukiko was going to give Souji a makeover, while Chie gave Yosuke's, and Rise gave Kanji's. I wasn't going to do anything, which was a relief, because I couldn't apply make-up on anybody, considering that I never even wore any.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Yukiko reassured Souji.

We were just about to begin when Teddie spoke up. "What about me?" We looked at him in confusion. We didn't sign him up...did we? "It turns out I'm entering this too. I must win this contest to see my dream realized!"

"He seemed bored, so we signed him up as a last-minute contestant." Yosuke said quickly.

"So you're making him suffer too, huh...?" Chie said, frowning. "Well, if he's been signed up, there's nothing we can do about it." Then she turned to me.

"Naoto-kun, can you lend us a hand? We'll leave Teddie to you." she decided.

It looks like I was helping out to, it seems. "M-Me?" I looked hesitantly at Teddie, who was sparkling at me.

"The Naoto-Teddie team's unstoppable!" he declared triumphantly.

"Well then, um..." I paused, looking back at Chie then to Teddie.

"First, I need some dazzling make-up!" Teddie was already eager to start.

I could only think that he shouldn't get his hopes up too high. I was an amateur, for a start. I never gave anyone a make-over, so I was afraid this would turn out somewhat...ugly.

"Y-You're right. Then I'll go borrow a makeup kit from someone..." I said slowly, trying to act normally. Then I ran away as fast as I could, hoping to find one at the drama club. I could hear him shout inside, "Wait! The battle begins by choosing the right equipment!" Then he rushed after me.

"Hey, where are you going to find the equipment?" he asked as he caught up to me. "You know that I'm not going to need some low-class ones, right?"

"The drama room. That place will fulfill all your needs and desires." I replied.

"Oooohh...I wanna see this so-called 'Drama Room'!!" he answered giddily.

"Here it is," We halted in front of a door in the first-floor of the Practice Building. "It's all yours."

"Yaaay!!!" He cried out as he barged in. I sighed and went after him.

The room was filled with students rehearsing for the upcoming play tomorrow, Hamlet. I had to say, they were really good actors.

The room became silent as Teddie entered. They looked surprised. I quickly explained to them that Teddie here needed a costume for the beauty pageant, which starts in about fifteen minutes. It was impossible; I couldn't do a makeover on Teddie in just a few minutes, so some of the students volunteered to help.

"Hey, I think he looks best in an Alice in Wonderland costume!" a girl said excitedly. All of the girls led him to a nearby bench and began taking out make-up kits and applying them all on him. Teddie obliged, saying they were all welcome with what to do with him, as long as he could look like he could score thousands-or even millions- of studs. Luckily, I only did his hair, which was kind of unique, given the texture and style.

A few minutes later, the bell rang. The auditorium was packed with crowds of audiences as we walked through.

It was the start of the beauty pageant.

* * *

**...I can't say how much I loved writing this chapter...heheheXD**

**Please RnR!**


	8. CF pt 3, The Legendary Pageants Begin!

**Here comes Part Three of the Culture Festival!!! **

**This is gonna be one hell of a long chapter so be sure you're in the mood to read it! Argh...two beauty pageants in a chapter...guess I have to make a separate one for the Amagi Springs. Sorry for those who were looking forward to it! It'll be in the next chapter.**

**You know the usual routine by now.:-)**

**

* * *

Sounds of applauses echoed through the air, and people were cheering everywhere. There were no chairs, so we had to stand up. The lights in the auditorium slowly went off, replaced by the groovy spotlights of the stage. A student with a colorful afro wig was standing on the stage, holding a microphone. He seemed to be the MC for this show, and his voice sure was loud.**

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!" he boomed. "WE NOW START THE CULTURE FESTIVAL WITH THE EVER-POPULAR 'MISS' YASOGAMI PAGEANT!!!"

The already noisy auditorium became even louder, like a volume turned up to its maximum point. There were even people who were jumping. When it quietened down, which seemed like hours, Chie whispered to me.

"Hey, did everything go well with the make-over?" she asked worriedly. "Uh, you know what Teddie's like, right? He's very fidgety and...um, I thought that you'd lose your cool with him..."

"As for your information, everything went smoothly," I answered quietly. "Don't worry, he's very 'pretty'."

"Oh, really?" Chie was taken aback. "You're that confident? I thought you said you were an amateur...?"

"Yes, I am," I replied sheepishly. "...But you could say I had a couple of helping hands."

"Helping hands...?" Chie echoed. "Oh...what a surprise..."

"I really wish that I could see what Teddie looks like now, but that'll spoil the fun, won't it?" Yukiko flashed a grin.

"Hey, it's going to start! Be quiet!" Rise hushed.

"*chuckle* So it begins..." Ms Kashiwagi said from her position.

"LET'S GET RIGHT DOWN TO IT, AND INTRODUCE OUR FIRST CONTESTANT!!" The MC, who was standing at the center of the stage, moved over to the side as he spoke again. "SHE'S A RUNAWAY EXPRESS TRAIN WHO'S INABA BORN AND BRED, AND CAN KILL WITH BOTH HER FISTS AND HER LOOKS!!! PRESENTING KANJI-CHAN, OF THE 1ST YEAR CLASS 3!!!!"

At that minute, Kanji came walking out into the stage, his head held high and walking stiffly, slightly wobbling. _'Whoa, that's scary! B-But...'_I snorted as I tried my best not to go into a fit, unlike the one next to me, who was already laughing like a hyena. Guess who? There's no need for an answer. The other one next to me was holding her stomach while crying out, "Oh...Oh, my sides!!!!" And bursting into laughter. Same was for Rise, the only thing different was that she was laughing until her eyes watered and tears came out. Long story made short, all of us laughed the hardest.

Kanji wore a white one-piece bikini with a dress that reached his ankles. He also wore high heels. His hair was unbelievable;instead of the usual brushed-back hair, now it flowed over his eyes, and wavy bounces replaced the usually stiff and slick hair. Thick make-up was smeared all over his cheeks, eyes, and mouth. And, his eyes....

"S'up?" he said dully. A lot of people groaned.

"Guuh!!!"

"Eew, that's so creepy!"

"This is wrong on every level..."

As the laughter subsided, the MC asked a tense Kanji questions. "NOW, DON'T RIP ME APART FOR ASKING, BUT...WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR BEST FEATURE?"

"Er...My eyes..?" Kanji replied dumbly. Once again all of us laughed, while Rise yelled, "That's the way to go, Kanji!!" It was true, his eyelashes were very long and curled.

"You've got to be kidding me..." Chie muttered.

"Hey...don't..snrrk..you think he has...has...way too much..make-snrrk...up?" Yukiko tried to talk through her uncontrolled fits.

The MC was also astonished. "WOW!! A CONVENTIONAL ANSWER FROM THIS ALL-TOO-UNCONVENTIONAL BEAUTY!! AFTER SUCH A STRONG START, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF A CHANCE THE OTHERS HAVE, BUT HERE'S OUR SECOND CONTESTANT!! AN ELOQUENT HEIRESS OF THE NOBLE JUNES, SHE'S PURE DISAPPOINTMENT FROM THE MOMENT SHE OPENS HER MOUTH! PRESENTING YOSUKE-CHAN, OF THE SECOND-YEAR CLASS 2!!!"

"Now let's see MY masterpiece..."Chie rubbed her hands back and forth very impatiently. "Behold, everyone!"

A very miserable looking boy dragged his feet to the center of the stage, his hands clasped tightly to his abdomen. His face was downcast, avoiding the amused stares of the audience, who were pointing to him like he was some new kind of species.

He looked weirdly...cute, like a high-school girl. He wore a uniform with a red bow, like average girl uniforms. He was also wearing a very short skirt that was above his knees. His face was much better than Kanji's; not as much make-up was used. His lips were pink, his cheeks were a slight red, and his hair...I believe Chie really showed her artistic side of her there. It was plain, but a little part of his hair was tied up in a strawberry red hairband. Too bad it was overdone.

"Hi!" Yosuke squeaked in a very girly voice. It was plain disgusting.

The audiences groaned. "Holy crap!"

"And here I thought Yosuke-senpai would be able to pull it off!"

"Dude, it's terrifying...I can just imagine someone like him sitting across from me on a train!"

"Chie-senpai...you say this is your masterpiece..?" Rise pointed her trembling finger towards Yosuke. "It's...It's..."

"Absolutely terrifying!!! BWAHAHAHA!!!" Yukiko laughed. Chie shot her a glare of betrayal.

"NOW, YOU LOOK READY TO WIN IN THAT OUTFIT...DO YOU OFTEN DRESS LIKE THIS?" The MC continued.

"Hell no!" Yosuke said in his normal voice unconsciously. He realized this, and cleared his throat before saying again, "Like, no way!" In the girliest voice he could muster, earning another laugh from the audience.

Kanji shot an irritated glance at Yosuke. "What is with this? We're laughingstocks up here!"

Yosuke sighed, before grumbling, "What did you think this was about...?"

"Now we'll see who's better, you, me or Rise!" Chie growled.

"Fine with me! Just wait and see!" Yukiko retorted.

"Bring it on! I'll bring you two down in one strike!" Rise shot back.

"Wait, what about -" I began, but was cut off by the MC's unnaturally loud voice.

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS, BUT THERE'S STILL MORE TO COME! UP NEXT, OUR THIRD CONTESTANT! SHE HAS THE MILDLY BITTER TANG OF THE CITY, AND SHE'S MADE MORE GIRLS CRY THAN THERE ARE STARS IN THE SKY!! PRESENTING OUR TRANSFER STUDENT WHO'S BEEN BREAKING HEARTS IN THE SECOND-YEAR CLASS 2, SOUJI-CHAN!!"

"I'm gonna bet all my money that Souji'll turn out to be too plain!! I know you, Yukiko! If something you make isn't too bad, it'll be too plain and dull!" Chie taunted.

"You don't know me enough, then. Once you see him, you'll all be as dead as rats in the gutter!" Yukiko said sarcastically.

I sighed. "Guys, just calm down, alright? It doesn't matter who wins, what matters..." But it was useless. They completely ignored me, as if I never existed. _'Well, fine!'_I grumbled to myself. _'You all think that you're the best ones here, don't you? That's why you brush me aside when it comes to things like this, because I'm no match for you-'_

Before I could finish my thoughts, a black-clad person carrying a katana walked out. It was unmistakably Souji. He wore a wig, obviously. It was braided into two and rested on either side of his face. He wore the black uniform of Yasogami High, with a yellow tie in front. His skirt, unlike the other two, flowed down to his feet. He supposedly looked like a Kendo master, but as Chie said...It really was too plain. There were no colors at all! Just black, black and black.

A few of the love-struck audience groaned a little. Some complained that it was too plain and dull. Very unfortunately, Yukiko heard this, and bowed her head down in silent anger. I felt it was best not to interfere any longer.

"N-No more..." a girl moaned.

"Senpai!? Why are you doing this!?"

"Whoa...I thought he was cooler than that."

The more the audience complained, the angrier and ashamed Yukiko must have felt. Her eyes -I noticed- were brimming with tears. I felt like I at least had to do something to make her feel better, so I patted her back softly.

"It's okay, Yukiko-senpai. There's no need to be angry or ashamed...Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, don't they? Personally I think yours is better than the rest, at least it's not bad is it? Just the right amount of make-up was used, unlike Rise-san's, and not poorly overdone, like Chie-senpai's." I tried my best in consoling her.

"Hey...whose side are you on, Naoto?" The both of them asked sinisterly.

"Y-You're really...*sniff*nice..Naoto-kun," Yukiko sniffled. "I'd rather have you win than those other two devils." She glanced at the other two hurtfully. "Thanks, Naoto-kun." I nodded genuinely.

"SOUNDS LIKE YOUR ENTRANCE IS CAUSING QUITE A STIR! DID YOU SIGN YOURSELF UP?"

"Damn straight." He simply answered. So he can still keep his cool up on stage, huh? Neat.

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "Whoa, so you were more gung-ho about this than Kanji was." He sighed miserably. "Damn that Kashiwagi. How dare she tear away our innocence like this! Now I'm scarred for life, dammit!"

"OUR LAST CONTESTANT IS A RANDOM, UNAFFILIATED ENTRANT! SHE'S A FRIEND OF OUR OTHER 'BEAUTIES'!! CALLING HERSELF 'KING OF THE TV WORLD', SHE'S A CUTE SEXY LITTLE NUMBER! GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO TEDDIE-CHAN!!!"

Applauses filled the air. The audience still had hope left in them, I observed.

"Let's see what Teddie's gonna look like," Chie stared hard at me. "Hm...you're definitely an amateur. So it's safe to assume that I'll be the winner-...WHAT??!" Chie was cut off as she gasped in utter disbelief.

"N-NO WAY!! Teddie's...like that? That's Teddie?" Rise stuttered.

Teddie didn't walk out naturally like the others did. Instead, he trounced and skipped to the other end of the stage and back again with a sparkling demeanor on him. He skipped back again to the center of the stage and twirled around once before posing, his fingers twirling around towards the dumbstruck audience, and said, "Gimme your hearts!" That captured the hearts of many people.

The crowd roared in surprise and unexpectation. It really was a surprise, since the others were nothing compared to him.

"Huh!? That's a boy?!"

"He's so cute! Who gave him a make-over?"

"I'd hit it..."

Rise and Chie stood with their mouths hanging wide open. They didn't believe it, I was sure. They lost to me, the amateur. Haha, that sounded a bit too funny.

"Hey, I'm definitely going to pick yours. You deserve that," Yukiko smiled warmly.

"N-No fair!! S-She had help, she didn't do it on her own...!" Chie wailed.

"Nobody ever said that you have to do it alone." I replied. "Anyways, they only helped with the costumes."

"But still, fair's supposed to be fair!" Rise pouted.

"Nothing in life is fair. I thought you'd know by now." I smirked.

A few minutes later, the votes were collected. As we waited for the result, we had a small conversation. Suddenly, everyone became quiet again. I turned to the stage to see all four contestants standing side by side in one line. Teddie was still posing, and still had that kind of sparkle on him.

A drumroll started playing.

"AND THE WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S 'MISS' YASOGAMI PAGEANT IS..." The MC took a deep breath dramatically. The drumroll became louder until it halted. "THE RANDOM CONTESTANT WHO WON EVERYONE'S HEARTS, MS. TEDDIE!!!"

The audience clapped their hands like crazy, whistling and shouting to their limits. I didn't believe it myself. So all my hard work paid off, eh?

"AS OUR CHAMPION, MS. TEDDIE WILL RECIEVE A VERY SPECIAL PRIZE..." he continued. "LATER THIS AFTERNOON WE WILL BE HOSTING THE MISS YASOGAMI PAGEANT, WITH ACTUAL BEAUTIES THIS TIME!!"

"Gah...Damn it.." I cursed silently.

"YOUR REWARD IS A POSITION AS AN HONORARY JUDGE IN THAT PAGEANT!!" The MC announced.

Teddie, having heard his reward, jumped up and down in joyous victory. He was really enjoying this. The guys however, were disappointed.

"Woohoo!!" He cried out.

"A-An honorary judge...?" Yosuke said, shaking his head. "That's one lame prize for what you gotta go through..."

"Not everyone can get excited over a judge position." Chie said with a little smile.

"Seeing him happy kind of makes me happy, too." Yukiko giggled.

"Yeah, he's like over the top innocent." Rise agreed.

"What does the person who gave the winner a make-over get?" I wondered.

After Teddie finally stopped jumping, the MC continued.

"WELL THEN, MISS TEDDIE, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO HAVE WON THE PAGEANT AND BECOME THE JUDGE?"

"Hmhmhm...The long-awaited day has finally come!" Teddie said with a mysterious tone. He looked to us next. "I decree that one of the judging criteria this afternoon will be..." He paused before giving his signature move again. "Tadaa!!! A swimsuit competition!!" He jumped up and down again.

All of the crowd went head-over-heels crazy. The rest of us were shocked. The guys, however, were silently congratulating Teddie. That stupid bear was going too far. If it was just a normal fashion show, it would still be okay, but a swimsuit-I repeat...SWIMSUIT competition...? That bear was going to become mince-meat after all this is over.

"Wh-What the HELL?!" Chie protested. "Over my dead body!"

"Ooh, I wonder what kind of swimsuit I'm gonna wear..." Rise was already planning her appearance.

"This couldn't get any worse.." Yukiko grumbled. "That bear needs to be disappeared."

"Well, I doubt that he has the authority to declare that unilaterally." I said nervously. This is already getting way out of hand.

"This is great! I LOVE the direction this is going!" Ms Kashiwagi chuckled.

"I'm gonna strangle that bear!!" Chie shouted as she rushed forward and tried to scramble onto the stage. Luckily, I was quick enough to hold her back, before she could wreck havoc.

"Calm down, Chie-senpai! I know we all want to _do _something to Teddie -I know _I_ do- but it'll just have to wait until this is over, when we're already at our limits! Okay?" I struggled to pull her back down.

"...Fine then," Chie sighed. "But watch out when this is over, Teddie, you'll regret that you won -no, that you ever even joined the contest!" She gave her most sarcastic look at Teddie, who just smirked and said. "I'll be seeing you _mademoiselles _later! I'm sure by then you will appear absolutely enchanting!"

"We'll get you for this!!" Chie threatened as we walked reluctantly to the dressing room, Class 2-2.

* * *

We squatted silently near the door, thinking of the things that we could do to escape. At least, that was what I was thinking.

After a minute or two, Ms Kashiwagi approached us.

"Dress yourselves as well as you can, you little brats." Kashiwagi said slyly.

"What is she, the rival woman on a soap opera...? Wait, is Kashiwagi serious about winning this?" Chie scoffed.

Before Kashiwagi could respond, the door behind me slid open, and a female student carrying a bag walked in.

"Mr. Teddie dropped this off." She said. We were confused. What was in that bag?

"He said that they're swimsuits..." She stated in a that's-so-obvious look.

Chie tripped backwards in surprise, nearly crashing into a table. "H-Hey, we don't need them!"

Kashiwagi bared her teeth and laughed very eerily. "*chuckle*Heeheehaahahahahaha!!!! My mature charms will win the day! I brought my own swimsuit, of course."

"I brought my own, too." Hanako said. We groaned in exasperation.

"Wh-What 's with these people...?" Chie gasped.

"H-Hey...l-let's not do this..." Yukiko whispered. Unfortunately, Kashiwagi heard this.

"What's that? Getting cold feet? Wise of you to back out of a fight you can't win," Kashiwagi said. She was really full of herself. "You call yourself an idol...but you're just jailbait with no brains, no guts, and especially...no figure." She targetted the statement mostly to Rise.

"What...!?" Rise retorted angrily.

"There's no way their type would be crowned Miss Inaba. Why not just let them back out?" Hanako said in her super snotty voice.

Chie and Yukiko faced Hanako annoyingly."Oh...and I suppose you think you're gonna take the crown!? You little...snoring pig!" I held back a smile. They did say that when there was a school outing of the first and second-years, where they had to pick up trash on a mountain or something, the girls couldn't sleep because of Hanako's ridiculous snoring. Too bad I wasn't in Inaba back then.

"Ha! Snoring? What are you talking about? Your face is as foul as your mouth, and your brain's rotten to boot." Hanako snorted.

"We went through hell because of you..." Chie stamped her feet angrily. "Th-That's it! Now I'm pissed!" She was turning on her competitive streak here. _'Now's no the time to be doing that, Chie-senpai! Let them do what they want, and let us get out of here!'_I pleaded silently.

'Oh? You're going to challenge me? It's useless...Don't waste your energy," Hanako remarked. She was as blind as a bat. "Let this be a warning to the others too. You're going to lose. Now's your last chance to run away." She added tauntingly, further angering Chie.

"R-Run away? Why the hell would be run from someone like you!?" Chie argued.

"Well, we did kind of run away last time." Yukiko admitted quietly.

"That's what I'm saying! We gotta stand our ground and get our revenge for that! How can we cower and hide when they're picking a fight?!" Chie turned to us with a look in her eyes that dared us to say anything other than the answer she expected. "Right, Rise-chan, Naoto-kun!? We won't run from this, right!?"

Rise nodded frantically, and then all eyes were on me, expecting a nod from me, or whatever. It took me a moment to realize that however, and when I did, I jumped backwards.

"Huh...!? Me too!?" I blurted out. "Why are you letting yourself be so easily provoked!?" My voice was getting higher and higher by the minute. I shook my head drastically. "Th-th-th-There's no WAY!! Absolutely. No. Way. That I'm wearing a swimsuit."

Chie inched closer to me right after I stated my refusal. A very dangerously dark aura was forming around her. I could feel it myself as I gulped.

"YOU'RE NOT GOIN' ANYWHERE." Chie said in her scariest voice. I suddenly felt a cold chill running down my spine. I was still young...I don't want to die yet!

"Uh...W-What I meant i-is...ahaha..ha.." I stammered uselessly.

Chie snatched the bag from the girls' hands and dragged us all -more accurately, ME- to the nearest bathroom. Once inside, she locked it and asked Yukiko, the tallest person in the restroom, to put the keys to where I couldn't reach it. Darn it, just because I'm the shortest doesn't mean...

Chie shuffled through the bag and fished out a yellow-striped two-piece and a skimpy pink and frilly two-piece swimsuits.

"Huh? Hey, aren't these the ones from the school outing back then?" She tossed the pink ones to Yukiko.

"Oh yes, I remember. We owe those two a lot, didn't we?" Yukiko grimaced.

"Oh, right. Mystery Food X?" Rise said teasingly. Chie and Yukiko silenced her with a glare.

"What? I never knew about that." I remarked.

"It's better that you don't." Yukiko and Chie said in unison.

"Alright, enough talking, where's my swimsuit?" Rise asked.

"Oh," Chie scrimmaged some more into the bag. "Uh, here, this is yours...I guess?" She held up an orange flowery bikini. A _bikini_. Wow, Rise was very daring for an idol, but that's what they do, don't they? Chie passed the bikini to her. "Oh yeah, and Naoto-kun's is..." She searched again, and pulled out a dark blue...._BIKINI!!???_

I gaped in horror. "No...No, Chie-senpai, please, I beg of you...No, don't bring that _thing _any closer!!! Please, I-I..I can't do this..Have mercy on me!! I'll do whatever you want me to do...except this! I-I'm allergic to these kind of things! Someone, help!!" I slowly stepped backwards as Chie stepped closer.

"Come on, Naoto, this won't hurt you," Chie cooed. "You'll just have to wear it for a few minutes, and then you can do whatever you want with it!"

"No, absolutely no way! I told you, haven't I?! I'm never, I repeat, NEVER EVER in my lifespan, going to wear these..._things_!!" I pointed disgustingly at them.

"Naoto-kun, these _things _have names, you know. They are called clothes, or more specifically, bikinis," Rise teased. "Oh, maybe I should let the others know about your bust size? Like what Teddie said, 'Nowadays, information wants to be free!', right? So I should probably-"

"OKAY OKAY RISE-SAN, I UNDERSTAND!!!" I cried out in defeat and sighed. "Really, anything but that. Arrgh, just give me that thing-...I-I mean that b-bikini!" I snatched the bikini out of Chie's hands and entered a bathroom stall, slamming the door shut as I went. The other's retrieved their own swimwear and went into their own stalls.

* * *

"Come out, Naoto-kun, you've been in there long enough! The show's about to start!" Yukiko called out. They were all crowded around my stall, obviously waiting for me to come out. Too bad I wasn't going to. They could wait as long as they want, I was _not _going to come out.

"What's taking you so long, Naoto?" Rise asked.

I desperately tried to pull the upper part of the bikini upper, but it wouldn't budge. "Uh, guys?" I called out meekly. "No matter how hard I pull, the bikini won't cover my chest! And my bottom part is completely bare!! I can't go out like this..."

"Don't be such a wuss, Naoto!" Rise sighed.

"Don't make me break down the door." Chie warned, flexing her muscles.

I gave up. "No, don't! I don't want to get an issue with the school authorities!" I gulped. "Here I go..."

I unlatched my stall and walked out, covering my chest and stomach with my hands. The others gasped.

"Hey, you look kinda hot, Naoto," Rise giggled flirteously. The orange bikini's looked natural on her. Her figure was perfect. "If I were a boy, I'd hit on you right here, right now."

"S-Stop that, Rise-san." I murmured, my cheeks flushed red.

Yukiko sighed. "Naoto-kun, I think it would be better to take off your hat." She took my hat off. Her two-piece swimsuit hugged around her body not too tight. It fitted her perfectly.

"B-but.."

"See? You look better like that." Yukiko complimented and put my hat into the bag.

"I'm just not used to it. It's just not comfortable without it." I said weakly.

"Hey, we're not going out of this restroom without decent clothes, right?" Chie laughed nervously. Her figure was the sporty type, so her two-piece looked good on her. "Come on, let's put our uniform back on!"

"But it's too hot and stuffy!" Rise wailed. "I'd prefer my original clothes than this." She held her uniform.

"Let's see what else they've got in for us," Yukiko looked inside the bag. "Oh! They've got our everyday outfits, too!"

"Huh? Really?" Chie peeked inside. "Gosh, I never noticed."

A bell sounded in the air. "_ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS. ALL OF YOU ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE AUDITORIUM IN HALF AN HOUR. I REPEAT-_"

"Hurry up! We're going to be late!" I squeaked.

* * *

"BUT THAT'S NOT ALL FOR THE CULTURE FESTIVAL'S MAIN EVENT! THERE'S STILL MORE TO COME IN THE MISS YASOGAMI PAGEANT!" The MC spoke. "THE JUDGING CONTINUES! CAN YOU HEAR THE CROWD GOING WILD!?" He practically screeched the last part.

After Kashiwagi and Hanako came out, It was Chie's time. "Wish me luck, everyone! And don't you DARE try to run away, you got that, Naoto-kun?" She looked at me extra cautiously. I shrugged.

"NOW, FOR OUR NEXT CONTESTANT, MS. CHIE SATONAKA OF THE SECOND-YEAR'S CLASS 2! COME ON OUT, CHIE!"

Chie walked out and stood rather awkwardly in the middle of the stage. "H-H-Hi, I'm Chie Satonaka." Some Chie fans cheered.

"TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF!" The MC encouraged.

"U-Um, I'm kinda shy and reserved...And my favorite food is...pudding." She was totally faking it. The crowd, not having known Chie as well as we do, clapped their hands. Somewhere out there I thought I heard a voice call out, "That liar...It's steak!" It sounded none other than Yosuke.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" The MC said. "UP NEXT, ANOTHER CONTESTANT FROM CLASS 2, MS. YUKIKO AMAGI!"

"Oh, I'm getting a stage fright. Okay, here I go," Yukiko breathed in deeply. "I'll see you later there, Naoto-kun." She said expectantly and walked out. There was no chance of escape. Everyone was already keeping their eyes on me.

"H-Hello, my name is Yukiko Amagi," She began, with a hint of uneasiness in her voice. "Um, my family runs the Amagi Inn." As if we didn't know that already. "If you ever find yourself in the area, please give us a visit. Our hot-springs are open to the public year-round, so whenever you're in the mood to enjoy them, please drop by..." Wait, was she promoting her inn or something? All in all, the audience applauded, especially the Yukiko die-hard fans, who were shouting as though the world was about to end.

"ALRIGHT, THAT'LL DO NICELY," The MC replied. "NEXT UP, A VERY FAMILIAR FACE--FROM THE FIRST-YEAR CLASS 2, MS. RISE KUJIKAWA!!"

"Okay, now it's my turn!" She winked at me. "Be brave, okay?" She strutted to the center of the stage casually, as if it was no big deal for her. That was obvious, because she was an idol. She waved her hands at the audience, and around a million fanboys fainted. Nah, let me correct that. Millions of them were love-struck, as they have never seen Risette in the flesh before.

"Hi-hi! My name's Rise Kujikawa!" She said cheerfully, in her authentic Risette voice. "I haven't been in town very long, but it's a great place, and I'm 100% thrilled to be here! So sorry that I'm not working as an idol right now! Risette's gonna do her best, so I hope you'll all cheer for me!" The crowd responded wildly.

"THE REAL RISETTE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IN THE FLESH! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

NEXT IS THE MYSTERIOUS TRANSFER STUDENT OF THE FIRST-YEAR'S CLASS 1, MS. NAOTO SHIROGANE!!!!"

A loud cheer errupted from the audience, which was making me feel light-headed. I suddenly felt cold, my hands were wet. The MC was looking expectantly at me, as were Chie, Yukiko and Rise. Glaring was more like it. I glanced backward for a bit. Damn, Teddie was right behind me.

"After you, mademoise--"

"Shut up." I cut in him harshly as he whimpered at me. I didn't care, he was one of the trouble-makers of this mess.

Leaving me with no other choice, I took one last, deep breath, and walked forward, trembling ever so slightly. The spotlights were very bright, and it blinded me even more without my hat. The cheering became louder than ever. Oh, this was definitely hell, all right. My nightmares were all coming true.

"I-I'm Naoto Shirogane," I stammered, my face beet red. The room became deathly silent. All of them were watching me, so any mistake I make will be seen and witnessed by all of them. Souji, Yosuke and Kanji were out there too. Yosuke was whispering something to Kanji, and Kanji looked like he wanted to beat the stuffing out of Yosuke. Souji looked impressively calm and looked straight at me, a small smile gracing his lips. I gulped and fidgeted a little before continuing. "It's hard to believe I'm, uh...up on a stage at a pageant like this...This is beyond my...e-err...wildest imaginings...I-I really don't know...what to say..." That was poorly done. The next thing I knew, I was whispering frantically to the MC, who seemed a little disappointed.

"...C-Can I...s-step back now?" He just nodded and I scampered to the back with the others. It was plain embarrassing to see, but somehow the audience found it cute and amusing as they cheered and called out my name. Rise and the others just grinned at me.

"AND WITH THAT, ALL SIX UNIQUELY BEAUTIFUL CONTESTANTS ARE ON STAGE!!" The MC continued astoundingly. "NOW, LET'S HAVE OUR JUDGE, MR. TEDDIE, ASK THEM SOME QUESTIONS."

With that, Teddie walked out grandly, with a mic in one hand, and his head held high. The audience snickered but clapped all the same.

"Ehem, I am Teddie, the honorary judge for this pageant," he said business-manly. "Please keep in mind that if you anger me, you will be at a disadvantage." I rolled my eyes. Please, all I wanted now was to get this over with. And if I was lucky enough, I could escape before the second part of the swimsuit competition began.

"Well, Ms. Chie. Do you have a boyfriend?" He held out the mic to Chie. What? This was so not what a judge would ask. A _normal _judge would probably question about the reason for our participation and our whereabouts, which if he were to ask at me, I would gladly answer that--

"Wha--!? Teddie, you...!" Her cheeks flushed.

Teddie ignored Chie and moved on to Yukiko. "Ms. Yukiko, have you ever smooched anyone before?"

"H-Huh? S-Stop it!!" Yukiko answered, her turn to blush.

"Ms. Naoto, where are you ticklish?" He turned to me. It was good enough he didn't ask an embarrassing question like he did to my senpais, but to play it safe, I decided to reply with what I usually do if I didn't understand something. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Can I stay at your house next time, Rise-chan?" He turned to Rise, who looked at him weirdly.

"What kind of a question is that...?" Before Teddie could continue to the two remaining contestants, the MC interrupted.

"A-ANYWAYS, I HAVE A SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR YOU ALL!! WAIT 'TILL YOU HEAR THIS! FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THIS YEAR'S PAGEANT WILL FEATURE A SWIMSUIT COMPETITION!! AND IT'S ALL THANKS TO MR. TEDDIE HERE!!" The crowd became wild again.

"WE'LL TAKE A BRIEF BREAK WHILE OUR CONTESTANTS CHANGE INTO THEIR SWIMSUITS AND BE BACK IN JUST A FEW MINUTES!!"

_'AS IF.'_ I thought angrily. There was no way I was going to appear in the second half. Just wait and see, I'll be gone in a flash!

"Uh, Rise-san, may I ask you a favor?" I nudged Rise, who was still standing next to me.

"Huh? What?"

"You see, I'm suddenly having a stomach ache and..." I quickly spoke again as she gazed suspiciously at me. "N-No, I'm not going to ditch the second half, I just want to go to the toilet to, uh...you know." I gestured at her so she would understand.

"Okay, okay, fine, you don't have to tell me, I know," Rise sighed. "I'll tell Mr. Kondo and Kashiwagi, but you'll have to be back by the time it's your turn, ok?"

"You got it." I replied as I rushed away.

* * *

I bolted through the exit at the first chance I have before anyone else and rushed into the dressing room, where my clothes were being stored. I didn't have time to change out of this stupid swimwear, as the girls' voices were getting closer, so I scooped up my things and bounded out of the nearest back door. There were guards at every corner, so if I got caught, I'd be dragged back to that ridiculous pageant and people will keep extra watch over me. So I only had one option.

It was a good thing that I loved climbing trees when I was small, as I liked to play in my secret hideout, a treehouse. I spotted a huge tree, so without a second thought, I jumped among branches as stealth as a cat and settled on a branch which had a nice bird-view of the pageant, so I could watch it without having to be caught. I sighed in relief for the first time in ages, as I thought of two simple words but held plenty of meaning.

_'Mission Accomplished.'_

* * *

**Nyah...th-this chapter was e-even worse th-than last time...I-I...can hardly feel...my fingers...at all!! TTOTT**

**Next chap...a little beauty pageant left...then the H-Hot..Springs....**

**Please...R...N...R...*passes out on the nearest bed***


	9. Hot Springs Hijinks

**Here goes another chapter. Sorry for the very late update...I hate exams! But it's finally over...**

**And without any further delay, here we go!**

**

* * *

**

I heard angry shouts and yells as they discovered I was nowhere to be seen. They rushed here and there, but luckily, they weren't creative enough to just look up at the highest tree. Rise was by far the most upset.

"That liar!! How dare she tricked me! And to think she was my best friend!" She scolded herself. "And how could I have fallen for her excuse!? That was so stupid of me!"

"She was bound to escape in one way or another. Just leave her be," Yukiko shrugged. "Right now we should focus on not trying to mess up when it comes to our turn."

"Y-Yeah, you're right!" Chie grinned nervously. "God, I've never felt this nervous in my whole life. Naoto must have it good right now. I wonder where she's gone to. Back home, probably? Nah, too far. She must be around here. Oh, whatever," She held up her hand to her chest. "My heart's really pounding right now. Let's hurry back to the stage!" The others agreed and went back inside.

'If you just took a look above you, then you'll know where I am,' I thought, smirking. 'Luckily, they don't think of me as the kind to climb trees and stuff like that. Now, I can just sit back and enjoy the show without any risks of being embarrassed.' There was a wide window without any glass, just bare, so I could hear the voices quite clearly. They were facing with their backs on me, as the stage was in front of them, but if anyone happened to look behind, they would definitely see me.

* * *

The show continued. It was time for Kashiwagi to make her debut. But I seriously wanted to puke when she posed very naughtily and daringly. She giggled a few times and went to the corner of the stage. The crowd just cringed in disgust. Then it was Hanako's turn, and the sight was just...horrible. I averted my eyes so that I wouldn't have to notice her fat lumps forming in her stomach as she walked. She should think more seriously about taking a diet. The audience snickered. When it was Chie's turn, I started to pay attention.

She walked out, half-naked with the exception of the swimsuits. Once in the middle of the stage, she inhaled deeply, as if to calm herself and not freak out. Her face was very pale.

"A-Ahaha...H-Hi..." She waved hesitantly. From the sound of her voice, she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. She turned around and bared her back as she walked to where Hanako and Kashiwagi were. A lot of people who had impure minds 'ooh'ed at the sight. It was natural; she was actually the first decent woman to come out besides Hanako and Kashiwagi.

Next Yukiko walked out very slowly. She looked hesitant. "I-I'm sorry." She apologized. But for what? I think she looked fine, she was the ideal girl that any guy would dream for. Even when half-dressed, she still looked elegant and graceful. She gave a curt nod and walked to the back.

Rise came out eagerly, without any hesitance at all. Not that I wasn't expecting it, though. She waved her hands high up in the air and called out, "HERE'S RISETTE!!!!" She winked and yelled out, "Hi, senpai!" before she turned and walked away to the back. When did she ever become so possessive?

The MC, who was clearly expecting me to come out, looked around and scratched his head. "UHH...MS. NAOTO...? SHE'S NOT COMING OUT..." He muttered a quick excuse to the audience and ran backstage.

A few minutes later, the MC came back and shook his head apologetically. "I'M SORRY PEOPLE, IT LOOKS LIKE NAOTO WON'T COME OUT FOR THIS PORTION." A lot of the people groaned. I smiled smugly.

The votes were picked. It seemed that the majority of voters picked Rise...or probably Yukiko...or maybe even Chie! But definitely not those two hands down.

"IT LOOKS LIKE EACH GIRL HAS THEIR OWN FANS!!" The MC said after reading the votes. "BUT YOU GIRLS WERE ALL THINKING THE SAME THING. SO THERE'S A CLEAR WINNER!" The MC cleared his throat. I edged closer from the tree, and I was dangerously close to falling out of the tree into the bushes below. But no matter, it's not like anything would make me lose my balance.

The drumroll played. "AND THE GRAND WINNER OF THIS YEAR'S MISS YASOGAMI PAGEANT IS..." he paused as the drumroll became louder. "MS NAOTO SHIROGANE!!!!" I let out a gasp of disbelief as I lost my footing and fell to the ground below. Fortunately, there were bushes right beneath me, and I wasn't so high up in the branches, so all I got were a few scratches and pricks in my arm. And a sprained leg. I mumbled a string of curses to myself as I pulled them out. It was impossible! I hadn't even participated in the second round! Wasn't that supposed to count as a disqualification?

"HER ANDROGYMOUS CHARM HAVE WON ALL THE GIRLS' HEARTS! WE'D LIKE TO PRESENT HER WITH HER PRIZE NOW, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S GONE OUTSIDE."

I began to walk away to avoid the murderous glares of the contestants--especially Chie--but before I could step forward again I stopped and looked at my hands. I thought that I was holding something, but what...? I looked up and saw my clothes still hanging on the tip of the branch I was in. _'Oh, for the love of god, will this misfortune ever end..?'_I groaned to myself as I kicked furiously at the root of the tree. Unexpectedly, I managed to make the clothes fall from the branch, along with a few twigs, which bounced off my head as the sharp ends pierced me. I scooped up my things and rubbed the now forming bruise on top of my head. Was this karma?

* * *

A pair of arms embraced me from behind as I walked along the hallway of the Second Years.

"Naoto-kun!!!" an undoubtly familiar voice cried out. _' Here comes my demise...'_I gulped nervously as I turned around. "Oh...aha..ahaha..Hi!" I put on the most convincing smile I could make.

"I can't believe that you won!!" Rise grumbled. "You...didn't even...show...up!!" She slapped me lightly across the cheek.

"Naoto-kun...." a very eerie voice said creepily.

"Y-Yes, Chie-senpai?" I replied, shaking. I sensed an even darker aura from her now. No, a bit more mysterious.

"...That was awesome!" She blurted out. "How did you do that!? You... you just left...you ditched the second half, but still, you won!! What kind of trick did you use? Tell me!"

"...Huh?" I gaped, not expecting that kind of remark at all.

"Don't pressure her, Chie," Yukiko said. "She's had enough all day. Come on, let's buy some takoyaki!" She pointed towards a stall. A sweet scent was drifting from it. I could hear my stomach rumble from not having eaten for the whole day.

"Hello, Miss Yasogami!" a hand patted my shoulder. I shoved it off. It was Souji.

"Quit it." I growled. "Do not call me that ever again or you'll taste my bullets."

"Whoa, sorry," Yosuke put his hands up in a surrender position. "Didn't think you'd take it that seriously. I mean, for crying out loud, you should be proud of that!"

"We really were unstoppable, weren't we, Nao-chan?" Teddie grinned.

Before I could respond, a young girl's voice called out from across the corridor. "Oh, big bro!"

"Oh, hey Nanako," Souji patted Nanako's head lovingly as she approached him. "What are you doing here?"

Dojima came up to us not long after Nanako did. "Ah, good thing we found you."

"Huh? Where're you going?"

"I've got to make a business trip to the prefectural office, and I won't be back until tomorrow," he sighed. "Shame it had to fall during your school's Culture Festival. Nanako and I were both looking forward to it... Sorry to dump this on you, but could you show Nanako around?"

"Would you like to walk around with us, Nanako-chan?" Yukiko asked gently.

"I'd love too!" She beamed at the offer.

Dojima sighed in relief. "Thanks. Then I'm gonna get going." He nodded a quick goodbye to us and walked away.

"Have a safe trip!" Nanako called out after him.

"Yeah. You have fun too, Nanako." Dojima waved over his shoulder.

"Okay, Dad!" She waved back until he was out of sight.

Yukiko suddenly got an idea. "Hey Nanako-chan, why don't you come over and stay at my place tonight?" She offered a sweet smile to Nanako, but the one who answered however, wasn't her.

"Huh? Huh? Huh? What did you just say, Yuki-chan!?" Teddie gasped. Yukiko rolled her eyes.

"Ooh, a celebration at your inn!?" Rise joined in.

"Is that okay with you...?" Kanji asked, wide-eyed.

"Uh-huh. I promised you guys a while ago, so... yeah." Yukiko answered.

"Hell yeah! I'm down!" Yosuke pumped up his hands.

"Can I boil eggs in the hot springs!?" Teddie asked giddily.

If we were going to stay at Yukiko's place, I had to tell my Grampa. "Oh, I should call my Grampa and let him know! It's just for one night, right?" I decided.

"C'mon, it'll be fun. Everyone'll be there." Yukiko turned back to Nanako.

"Can I..?" Nanako asked Souji. She always seemed to ask permission from Souji now, instead of Dojima.

"It's up to you, Nanako." Souji smiled.

Nanako clapped her hands together in joy. "Let's go! I wanna spend the night!"

"Whee! Hot springs! Yukata! Flushed skins!" Teddie was blurting out everything he could think of at that very minute.

"Are you sure it's okay...? I mean, isn't it still the busy season?" Chie asked worriedly.

"We've had fewer visitors this year... There are some open rooms, too." Yukiko replied. So we were going to spend the night at the famous Amagi Inn. I wonder if I'll be able to spend a decent night for once.

* * *

We took the bus to the Amagi Inn. When we arrived, it was already a bit past 6. The sky was growing dark, but once the colorful lights surrounding the Inn lit up, it looked beautiful.

"So this is the pride of Inaba..." Chie remarked, stroking her chin. "I imagined it would be cool, but I never thought it'd be this... extraordinary. It's like, an enchanted castle that was warped into an ordinary inn in the daytime, but every time the night falls, the inn's spell wears off, and it becomes a magnificent castle once again."

"S-Stop it Chie, you're totally exaggerating," Yukiko giggled a little. "But I used to think like that when I was younger."

"You've never come here before, Chie?" Souji asked thoughtfully.

"Ahaha, it's not like I've never been here before... it's just been a while... about four years, maybe? But man, I didn't think it would change this much." Chie laughed sheepishly.

"... So this is Yuki-chan's place, huh?" Teddie gazed in wonder, before sneaking a flirteous comment to Yukiko. "Say... I think this would make a wonderous castle for the two of us... what do you say, my hon? Just the two of--" he was broken off as a shocked Yukiko slapped him.

Teddie rubbed his sore cheek, and glanced with watery eyes at Yukiko. "Oww... Yuki-chan, calm down baby... I was just Teddie-ing around..."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard..." Yukiko gasped. "I guess my hand just moved on its own. I promise that I'll be gentler next time."

"G-Gentler...?" Teddie grinned evilly. He looked drunk at the thought.

"Why does this sound a lot like when Yukiko did it with Kanji...?" Chie groaned.

"H-Hey! Don't bring that up again!" Kanji exclaimed.

"... How long are we gonna stay out like this? Hurry up and go in, I'm getting cold out here!" Yosuke shivered, while tapping his foot impatiently.

The night in the Amagi Inn was about to begin.

* * *

"Here is your room," Yukiko said business-womanly as she slid a card in the Inn's slot in front of a room. "I hope our facilities will be to your liking. We have prepared the futons just for you four. Special drinks and snacks are in the small refrigerator over there. If you want, you can occupy the Amagi Springs at--"

"Whoa, chill, Yukiko. Is this what you say to every customer you meet?" Yosuke said mischievously. "I know how it feels, I do that often myself. Everytime I help in Junes, every person that goes past has to know the latest items for the day, or let them know a there's a discount sale. So... If you want, we could--"

"That's all right, thank you very much, but no, I don't think I can accept your confession, I've had too many in every kinds of different ways," Yukiko said quickly as she hushed the boys into the vacant room. "Enjoy your stay."

She closed the door and motioned for us to follow her down the hall.

"... Uh, senpai?" Rise spoke up, breaking up the silence. "... I think you forgot to tell them when it's the mens' time to occupy the Hot Springs..."

"On second thought, I think it was better not to tell them." Yukiko winked. "I'm sure they're all exhausted, and from what I've observed, I think they're not the type to be relaxing in hot springs. I'm sure we do, right?"

"... Oh! I get it now!!" Chie blinked in realization. "You want us to have the Springs for the entire night, right? You're so clever!"

"... What about Teddie? I mean, the Hot Springs were what he targetted for ever since he agreed to come." I said reluctantly.

"... Oh yeah, Teddie..." Chie replied. The awkward silence continued.

"Um, I think I remember that you said the mens' turn is over... right?" Rise asked.

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that." Yukiko sighed in relief, her anxiety fading away. "So how about it, girls?"

Suddenly I stopped. "What's wrong, Naoto?" Rise asked concernedly.

I shook my head. "No... no, nothing's wrong. You guys go on ahead. I'll follow. I just... had something on my mind, that's all." They nodded and strode away.

_'I'm... going to the hot springs, too!? But, but I'm still uncomfortable around them! Especially if I have to wear towels. Oh god, this is even worse than the pageant!'_ A terrifying thought struck me as quick as lightening. Suddenly, I felt as if having a relaxing time in the springs wouldn't be such a good idea after all.

* * *

I took a shortcut to the springs. I knew it would be easier to just run away, but then I'll owe them even more, considering that I already have avoided the Pageant. So I figured that, if I arrived there sooner, at least they won't have to see me change.

When I slid open the door to the springs, it was very foggy and misty. The warmth tickled my skin and urged me into the water. I felt a little better, able to have the fog conceal most of my body and the water blocking the sight below. I leaned against a large boulder in the middle for a while. It really was relaxing, the sound of water hitting against water and the rock...

I moved my feet for a while, back and forth. I sat back and hummed a little to myself. No sooner was the calm atmosphere interrupted.

The door slid open, and Rise, Yukiko, Chie and Nanako walked in with nothing but towels. I half-swam to the other end of the rock. Fortunately, the sound of the waterfall disguised my motions. I held my breath as the first person spoke.

"Oh, thank god there's no one here... This is like our private and personal Hot Springs! You're so lucky, Yukiko... You could come here anytime you want, free of charge!" Chie breathed in the damp air.

"Well, not really," Yukiko said. "I thought I told you that I have to help out everyday after school, so there's practically almost no time at all to relax..."

"Speaking of which... where's Naoto? Don't tell me she..." Rise sighed. "That girl... when is she ever going to just lay back and let everything flow to its own current? I mean, everyone already knows that she's a girl!"

'Which makes her even more protective of herself!" Chie snapped frustratingly. "Just... stop, alright? We've been talking about this for a whole day now! Ever since the Pageant... God, I think I'm gonna go crazy after this!! So right now, I'm going to... to forget what happened today and let all the tension in my body go away by not wasting anymore time out of the water and get in!" She waved her hands tiredly and jumped headfirst into the water. "Oh, this feels so good!"

"I wanna be second!" Nanako cheered.

The remaining girls jumped in after her. I could feel their water currents reaching me. I gulped and did my very best to stay quiet.

Suddenly they became weirdly silent, like they had some feeling that they were not alone. Everything was silent, except for the continuous sound of the waterfall.

A minute seemed like an hour. Nobody moved, not an inch. I thought I heard one of them whispering to each other before Yukiko cleared her throat.

"Come on over, there's plenty of room." She called out suddenly. I felt myself being exposed. _'I knew it... she's talking to me! But how could they know...? I haven't moved a muscle... has the fog become thinner?'_ I knew there was no backing out now. They knew I was there... and I should stop being such a coward.

I felt their presence getting closer after Yukiko spoke. They MUST be talking to me, there was no doubt about it. I gulped a single last time.

"Huh? Oh, o-okay..." I stammered, as I dragged myself a few lengths towards them.

I stopped about a few meters in front of them, facing with my back towards them. I shivered, I wondered what was coming next.

Rise was the one who took the first initiative. "Wow, Naoto, your skin looks so soft. Can I touch? Can I touch?" She edged closer to me, and I felt her hot breath on my back as she stroked my back.

"Huh? U-Umm..." I wasn't sure of what to say, and as I thought of a reply, the other two also came closer. I was becoming even more edgy as I felt their breath on each side of my body. Damn, they were so close.

"Wow, it really is smooth." Yukiko commented, as she touched my damp shoulder.

"You're so lucky. You have such fair skin and silky hair..." Chie said as she played with my wet strands of hair, twirling and untwirling it in her fingers.

"No unneeded body fat either." Rise agreed. Her hands travelled down slowly to my legs, and I shivered at the sudden movement.

I squeaked. "Eek! H-Hey, where are you touching...?" They laughed at my response. The tension was building up by each passing second, so I decided to strike up a conversation with Nanako, who talked the least at that moment.

I cleared my throat. "Ahem, N-Nanako-chan!" I scampered away from the girls over to Nanako's side. She gazed at me curiously.

"Um... A-are you okay with staying over at someone's place like this? Aren't you scared?" I asked with a small laugh. This was just to change the subject, and not because I really wanted to know the answer. Well, half of me did want to.

"No, it's lot's of fun!" Nanako grinned happily. "At home, I'm always alone until big bro comes back."

"Oh... I-I see..." I replied.

"But I'm good at staying home alone." she continued eagerly. "I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers."

"Wow! I bet he's so proud of you!" Chie said, impressed.

"Hey, Nanako-chan. Do you want to swim around?" Yukiko offered.

"Can I!?" Nanako answered unbelievingly.

"I've been swimming here since I was young." Yukiko said with a laugh. "

"Do you still do it?"

"Huh? Umm..." Yukiko trailed off, unsure of what to say to Nanako.

"... Why are you hesitating?" Chie asked with a smile. The group broke into fits of laughter.

"C'mon, let's race to the other side! Whoever loses owes everyone a fruit milk!" Rise demanded a bit forcefully.

"I want lemon soda." Yukiko argued.

"Uh, wh-what!? M-Me too!?" Chie gasped.

We argued for a bit until we were exhausted and I decided that we do something a little more relaxing, and not energy-wasting.

"Hey, how about we show off our talent?" Rise asked. "I'll show you guys what I can do. Check out my dead man's float." She stood at the the middle of the half-circle we formed, our backs facing the door. I was at the middle, Chie was at my right and Yukiko at my left. Nanako was at the far end.

Rise took a deep breath and went under the surface of the water. A few minutes later she floated upwards, half her face and her body visible.

"Wow! You're so good!" Nanako cried out, clearly impressed.

"My turn! I can do a back-flip under the water!" Chie said with pride in her voice.

"Without getting any water in your nose? That's so cool! I wish I could do that, too!" Nanako clapped her hands in delight.

Rise returned to her normal position once again. She dipped her head into the water and when she came up again, she shook her head to clear the water. "But we won't be able to see anything, Chie-senpai. Remember, this isn't a swimming pool. The water's all foggy inside."

"Oh, right. Then what about you?" Chie asked Yukiko.

Yukiko laughed half-heartedly. "Oh, I was never into those kinds of things..." She shook her head lightly. "What about you, Naoto-kun?"

"Oh, me?" I pointed to myself. "Nothing much... except maybe jumping from a board and doing a double back-flip in the air before hitting the water--"

"What!? You could do that!?" Chie gasped. "Hey, show us right now, THIS INSTANT!! I've been dying to try those out... Please!!" She pleaded.

"... B-But it's already been a long time ago... I doubt that I can still do it correctly..." I said as convincingly as I could. But Chie didn't stop her pleading, no matter how much I talked to her. Finally, I gave in.

"... Very well, then," I sighed. "But please don't expect too much of me." I climbed out of the springs and stood right before them, right in front of the door.

Everyone looked expectantly at me. I heaved my chest before saying, "Okay, clear the path, guys." I was about to jump, just before there was a HUGE interruption.

The door suddenly slid open, and an all too familiar voice shouted.

"Oooh, what a giant spring! I'll show you all my Teddie-paddle!"

A blur of blonde ran past me and without looking twice he jumped mindlessly into the water and unfortunately crashed into Yukiko.

"Oww!! What the-- HUH!?" Yukiko shrieked.

"Wait, Teddie, I have a pretty bad feeling about this... huh?" Souji was walking in slowly, shaking his head when he suddenly stopped a few centimeters in front of me. His eyes widened as he took in what he saw. "Y-You're..."

I froze in shock. I wanted to jump back into the springs, to shoot them with my revolver, to scream, to shout, to crush everything in my sight, to do just _anything _at all, but I couldn't. I couldn't even move a single bit. The only reaction I could do was tighten the clutch on my towel. All of us were speechless. Shocked speechless. Petrified. Paralyzed.

The doors were left ajar, letting the heat spill out. Beyond the door I could see a figure moving at a quick pace towards us. Luckily, the fog was blocking his view. But by the sound of his voice, I found out it was Yosuke.

"Phew! I could feel the heat hitting me full force!!" Yosuke cried out as he said back over his shoulder to Kanji. "Hey, Kanji, C'mon and hurry up!"

"Uh, Yosuke-senpai..." Kanji started worriedly. He too was starting to appear in the mist. "You better watch out--"

Yosuke turned his head back around again. He shouted in surprise and skidded to a halt, but it was too late. He crashed into Souji, who was completely unaware of the impact, and was sent crashing into me completely.

All of it was happening too fast. I remembered Souji hitting me so sudden, and then the next thing I knew, I was sent flying backwards with him into the water with a loud _SPLASH!!_ My eyes were shut tightly, and my back was completely sore; the impact with the water was too hard.

I struggled to swim back to the surface but felt heavy, and a weight upon me. I tried to open my mouth to say something, but I decided against that and tried to open my eyes a bit painfully. Bubbles were surrounding me everywhere. It was the lasting effect from the splash. But nothing could take my eyes off the view in front of me.

Souji was on top of me, rather, floating above me because we're in the water, but he was dangerously close. We were stunned to his core. The moment took only a few seconds, but seemed like hours for me. His skin on mine felt so soft, and wet. I felt like we could stay this way forever, but I was starting to panic because I was practically _naked_, so I tried to focus on my need of air and pushed him away.

I shot up to the surface as quick as lightening. Souji's head went up not long after. I gasped for breath as my chest was heaving up and down. My heart was beating wildly, unable to control the sudden occurence. I looked up and saw Yosuke bowing down very apologetically, his head going up and down in a flurry of apologies.

"What the hell!? What have you done to her!?!" Chie cried out.

"I-I didn't mean it!! I'm sorry!" Yosuke replied. He wasn't letting up in the apologies.

"Hey, what are you doing here anyway!!??" Chie shrieked in response.

"Y-You," I struggled for words. "What... What just happened!? Y-You suddenly got c-clo-close--GYAAH!!! You idiotic pervert! You didn't see anything just now, did you!? NEVER, EVER, IN YOUR WHOLE PATHETIC LIFE, EVER RECALL THAT AGAIN, EVER!!!" I kicked Souji hard in the shin. He winced and withered back in pain. "Girls!" I said commandingly to the other girls, and all of them nodded, knowing full well what I meant.

We waded to the other end of the spring and unhooked several buckets from their hooks and threw them one by one to the boys' direction. I did it without mercy, of course. Especially because the one I aimed them to were mainly Souji. How dare he? I mean, I don't even feel comfortable with the girls nearing me, but he? He did it! He got really close and--how was I supposed to react to that!?

Teddie lost his footing several times and waved his hands wildly in the air. Kanji was trying to dodge the several dozen buckets headed his way, so most of him bounced off him. Yosuke was crouched down, wrapping his hands around his head, probably saying his prayers. Souji took a nearby stool and tried to shield himself but several of the buckets hit him anyway.

"Tch, Hold the line!!" He clicked his tongue in frustration.

"AAAAAAAAH!!!" Rise shrieked. She kept throwing the buckets in many areas, some of them missing their target but the same amount hit them all the same.

Souji, having found out that we weren't ever going to stop unless he wanted to become all beat-up by being whacked with buckets, surrendered and called out to his other mates. "Retreat!!"

"Retreeeeaaat!!!" Teddie agreed blindly while stumbling back up the solid ground. One of the buckets hit his bottom, and he rubbed it sorely.

"It-It was an honest mistake!!" Kanji exclaimed, his face as red as Yukiko's sweater. I swear, he looked as if his nose was going to explode with blood.

"We won't forget this!!" Yosuke finally gave up his charade of apologies and pointed his fingers threateningly at us. They finally let up their guard and ran away. Sliding the door shut violently as they went.

* * *

**A long chapter, I guess? Hope this'll make up for the late update.**

**Finally finally FINALLY I'm free from the dreadful chains of EXAMS!!!! Go back to hell, or wherever you belong!!! Hyahahahahaha (?)**

**Well, ahem... what do you think of the scene? You know... the 'underwater' part... I thought that up on my own, but I'm worried if it came out all right...please RnR!!!**


	10. Morning in the Amagi Inn

**Another chap comin' up!! Enjoy.**

* * *

I hugged my arms around my body very tightly as I watched the door slide shut and shivered. What happened just a few minutes ago... seemed like a dream, both dreadful but wonderful at the same time. It was so sudden... my heart seemed like it skipped a beat. Before I knew it, it was over in a flash. But good riddance.

"We'll have to punish them later." Chie snarled as she crossed her arms.

"Wow, you got 'em good!" Nanako complimented.

"My aim's pretty deadly, huh?" Rise grinned.

"I wonder if they caught a glimpse... other than him..." I muttered, tightening my grip even more.

"Naoto-kun? Are you okay?" a soft hand fell on my shoulders lightly. It was Yukiko. "You were unbelievably emotional just now."

I turned and shook my head. "No... no, everything's fine. Although I don't really remember clearly of what just happened."

"You don't remember? It happened just a few moments ago! When Yosuke accidentally pushed--" Rise began. But I cut her off as quickly as she started.

"Thank you for the remainder, but no, I don't think I need to remember it again. Besides, it was just a mistake. Can we just, please, let go of this matter and continue on to another subject?" I suggested in vain.

"Well, alright," Chie shrugged in ignorance. "What do you want us to talk about?"

"Oh!" Yukiko gasped. "It's... actually the guys' turn to use the springs now." She giggled. "I got the times mixed up.... ahahahahahaha!!!" She slapped her hand on her thigh a few times while breaking into a fit.

"Are you serious...?" Chie said in disbelief. "Crap, I think we went too far with them..."

"Err... what should we do?" I questioned hesitantly.

"Oh, it'll be fine as long as we keep quiet about it! This'll just be between us girls!" Rise assured.

"Umm..." I tapped my head thoughtfully. It became my trademark everytime I think. "Come to think of it, what was with your strange attitude when you gave the guys the keys, Yukiko-senpai?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"She blinked several times.

"I mean what I just said," I repeated firmly. "You were acting strange, senpai. There must be something that you're hiding from them, and from us, as well. Can you tell us?"

She stared blankly at me for a minute, then laughed. "Just what I expected from a professional sleuth! I knew you were bound to ask that some time after it. Okay then, let me tell you guys the secret." She waved her arms quietly to the other girls, beckoning them to come closer. We huddled close together, even though there weren't anyone there besides us.

"Okay, what is it? What is it?" Rise asked impatiently.

"Shh!! Quiet down!" Yukiko hushed. "I'm sure you all remember Mayumi Yamano, the announcer, right?"

"I remember that before she was murdered, she stayed in this Inn." I recalled. "So... What has she got to do with the room the boys are staying in?"

"Hey, you don't mean...!?" Chie gasped in total shock.

What did she mean, exactly? Yes, Mayumi Yamano did stay in the Inn for one whole night before she was thrown into the TV and murdered. But specifically, which room did she stay in? Once Yukiko put it that way, I had a gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach.

"Y-Yukiko-senpai...?" I felt faintly dizzy. "No wonder you let them stay in a suite. Normally those kinds aren't usually available in this season, right? And I caught a glimpse of a couple of talismans dangling from the ceiling. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but... it looks like it's true."

"You're so wicked, senpai." Rise giggled, while showing her shiny white teeth. "I can't imagine--"

"Hey, be quiet for a sec. I think I just heard something." Chie held a finger up her lips. I strained to hear.

Sure enough, a boyish scream echoed through the building, followed by a couple of pounding footsteps going up a staircase. Their voices sounded terrified and scared. For a minute there, I was going to dash out of the Springs, put on my clothes, and find out what all the commotion was, when I felt a tug in my arm.

"Hold it. Those voices sound strangely familiar, don't you think?" Chie winked. "Especially the boyish scream just now... could it have been none other than our local Junes boy?"

"Oh yeah," I relaxed my tensed muscles. "I suppose they've figured it out already."

"And I have a feeling that Teddie's up to something," Rise wondered aloud. "All those footsteps just now? I think they were headed to our room."

"I hope not." Yukiko groaned.

I glanced at Nanako, who was quiet this entire time. She was staying still. Very still. Her eyes were a bit droopy and her face was flushed. She looked as if she were about to fall asleep in any minute.

"Hey, Nanako-chan? Isn't this past your bedtime already? You should hurry and get some sleep. The heat here is getting too much for you." I said worriedly.

"O-Okay..." She said as she rubbed her eyes drowsily. "I'm going to go sleep...G 'night..."

We wished her a good night as she stepped out of the Springs and changed into her pajamas before she walked away.

For the next few minutes we took the time to enjoy our surroundings and springs. I sighed contently and looked around the area. It looked like an ideal place to relax after a hard or long day. I swam a few laps around the pool, enjoying the feeling of the water overlapping me. Suddenly, another scream filled the air, but this time, words were spoken.

"A-AAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!! BEGONE!!!!" A distinctively shrill voice cried out. Was that... Teddie? What has he gotten himself into?

"HOLY CRAP!! D-D-Don't touch me!!!!" Another followed. Kanji was screaming to the tip of his lungs. God, what were they doing?

A few seonds later, two new voices joined in, and the four of them cried out in unison. A while later, their voices faded away.

"... Now what was that all about? Did they meet a ghost or something?" Chie knitted her brows together. "Hey, did you know Ms. Kashiwagi and Hanako-san were staying in the room next to ours? Those two seem to get along really well... I'm surprised." She suddenly said.

"They come and stay here now and again," Yukiko informed. "Usually they come to cry when something breaks their hearts..." She looked down to her feet.

Chie glanced at me. "Huh. I guess they were really devastated from losing to Naoto-kun." She looked surprised.

I rolled my eyes. "P-Please don't bring that up again..."

"Well, they do make a good team." Rise commented.

An idea struck me across the head. "Don't tell me they actually made the mistake of going into their room instead of ours...!" I exclaimed.

Silence. It was silent as everyone realized the ultimate possibility of the truth behind their yelling and screaming before we all broke into fits of laughter.

We spent a few more minutes cracking jokes and such before finally deciding to call it a night and stepping out of the springs. My body felt very sweaty. Of course, after spending at least two hours in the Springs, who wouldn't feel sweaty and hot? As I switched from my day outfit to my looser nightwear, I trudged out into the lobby of the Amagi Inn with a dazed expression. From the hot stuffy Springs to the cool air-conditioning of the lobby made me want to just sit down and lie there until morning. But I knew that was impossible, unless you wanted to be stared and laughed at.

I decided to sit back on one of the benches and close my eyes for a while, not intending to sleep, just to cool down. I didn't realize another person taking a seat beside me until I decided to open my eyes.

"Mind if I sit down here?"

I blinked my eyes lazily before turning to the one who spoke. I became slightly irritated. "Um, excuse me, can't you just leave me alone for a second?" I squinted at the speaker so that my eyes could adjust to the light. The figure looked like a man... with uniquely gray hair and gray eyes...

Once I knew who it was, I scooted over to the other side of the bench. My eyes flew wide open with anger and embarrassment. "What are you doing here!?" I hissed threateningly. "Still haven't got enough?"

Souji sighed. "Look Naoto, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean it. It was Yosuke who pushed me, and that was an accident, too. We were both innocent. I swear that I didn't do it on purpose. So can't you just forgive me?" He clasped his hands together in a pleading look. "I promise it won't happen again."

I gazed up at the ceiling next, wondering what else to say. From the sound of his voice, he sounded like he meant it, and I wanted to forgive him, too. But I was hesitant. I decided to ask him more about it. Just to confirm to myself that it wasn't a dream.

It was a few minutes later when I spoke again. When I did, however, my face turned into dark shade of red."Um... did...d-did you see anything...?" I muttered, loud enough for him to hear. My face became hot and I looked away. "When... When it happened, of course. D-Did you?"

He broke his pleading stare at me and leaned back casually on the bench. "Me...? Er... To tell you the truth, I uh, saw something. But I can't say what, exactly." He added hurriedly before I could react. "D-Don't worry. Whatever I saw, I'll keep quiet about it. Okay? I'll shut my mouth real tight." He pretended to zip his mouth, lock it with an imaginary key, and throw it away.

"What makes you think I'll believe you?" I replied warily. I crossed both my hands to my chest.

"Look, I've done a lot for you guys! Shouldn't you trust me, as your leader? Well... If the secret gets out, I'll...um...treat you for a whole month!"

"... Not enough."

"I'll treat you for half a year!"

"... Nope."

"A year!"

"... No good."

"Hey, it's just one little secret! Treating you for a year is already way over the top!" He complained.

"... What did you say?" I raised my voice a little and stared daggers at him. I edged a little closer to him with every syllable I said. "One... little... secret...? You call that one LITTLE secret...? Really? Well I don't think that's _little_, Souji Seta, in fact, it's a _big_, no rather, an _over the top_ matter. If you dare, even to muster one little word about it to anyone, anyone at all, you'd be wishing that you were never _born_!" By now, my face was just a few centimeters away from him. With every word I spoke, my voice became more quiet and threatening. My face was so close that I could feel his breath on my cheeks. The fact that I used his full name instead of his first name with honorifics is what scared him.

I held the gaze until he finally spoke, trembling. "Alright, alright, fine. I'll do whatever you want me to do. But only if the secret gets out." He laughed nervously.

With that, I blinked several times in satisfaction, and backed away. I took my belongings and stood up. I tipped my hat to him with a polite nod and said, "Well then, I hope that you have a good night, Souji-kun."

He just stared dumbfoundedly in return. I took that as a yes, and started walking back up to my own room. Along the way, I smirked. _'It's been a while that I've been teasing someone. Reminds me back in the good old times. Oh, the fun of it.'_

* * *

"Wake up, Naoto-kun!"

A pair of hands shook me awake. "W-What... is it...?" I yawned tiredly.

"God, you sleep like a log! Wake up and get dressed, everyone's gone down to eat breakfast! If you don't hurry, you'll get left behind!" Rise snapped impatiently.

"Then... why don't you... go ahead...?"

"I did! We waited for like, half an hour but you didn't come down! So I volunteered to wake you up!"

I groaned, pushed the covers away and stood up, arms stretching over my head. Something in my body clicked. My eyelids were so heavy, I could hardly keep it open. I shook my head from side to side, in an attempt to brush the bangs out of my face.

"Wow, your hair looks exotic!" Rise breathed. She was looking admiringly at my very messy hair. I was about to reach for a hairbrush when Rise snatched it away. "Don't, Naoto-kun! You look a lot cooler that way! I'm sure no one would recognize you!"

"Rise-san... Please..." I yawned again. "... Where's... my hat...?" I searched clumsily for my familiar blue cap.

Rise gasped as she looked at the time and tugged at me fiercely. "There's no time for that, Naoto-kun! Let's just go downstairs before they eat ahead of us!"

"But... my clothes..." Before I could finish my statement, Rise half-dragged me downstairs where I stumbled and tripped a little on the way.

"Don't worry, we're all still wearing our pajamas, too!" Rise winked.

A few moments later, we went into the Inn's resaurant. A few of the people stared at us--more precisely, me-- as we walked by. I heard a couple of them whisper to each other.

'Hey, that boy's kinda cute! Is he her boyfriend?'

'I wish I had one like him, too. Gosh, she's so lucky!'

'... Talk about Risette with a super-hot guy. They should put this in the papers!'

I rolled my eyes as we walked pass them without taking another glance. "Rise-san, where are the others? We've been walking for some while now. And I told you that I should've brushed my hair, or at least put on my hat and decent clothes! Now people are staring and misunderstanding the situation... And..." I squinted around cautiously, still catching some stares in my direction. The morning light was so blinding. "I don't want to eat in public. Seriously, they're all like stalkers!"

"I'll be surprised if they didn't stare at you." Rise answered simply.

We kept walking until we reached a double door. I nearly fell asleep on the way twice. "Here we are." Rise announced as she opened the door. "Hey guys, she's finally awake!"

After the door opened, even more light came flooding out full force to me. I winced and shielded my eyes, unable to take all the light in at once. "The light..." I muttered. I could hardly make out the figures in front of me.

Rise bounded forward without bothering to help me. She called over her shoulder as she took a seat, "Take a seat, Naoto-kun! Come on, your eyes'll adjust! And stop being so clumsy about it, kay?"

I felt my way to one of the empty seats with my free hand, the other still covering my eyes. I could make out one empty seat as I staggered my way over to it and plopped down without a word. Luckily, I was facing with my back towards the window, so it wasn't as bright as before.

"... Is that really Naoto-kun?" A voice piqued in disbelief. I turned towards the voice and realized it as Yukiko. She was sitting next to Chie, who was next to Kanji.

"Yeah! She hardly looks the same like usual, right?" Rise answered cheerfully. She was sitting across me.

"Whew, now you look more like a Detective Prince!" Yosuke whistled. He sat next to Teddie.

"You can hardly keep your eyes open, can you?" A voice chuckled as his hands shook my hair, making it even messier.

Almost everytime I wake up, I always feel a bit too emotional. I could easily get mad, happy, embarrassed, or get messed up in a jumble of feelings. Today was like one of those times.

"... Argh, quit it, Souji-kun," I replied, annoyed and swatted at the hand. He was sitting on my left, and Teddie on my right. His hand dodged mine swiftfully and everytime I missed, I growled in annoyance.

"Hahahaha, you're cute when you're like that." Souji laughed, letting down his guard by a little. By reflex I hit him with my clenched knuckles which connected to his jaw. Fortunately, it wasn't hard enough to bleed, but it was enough to make him double over in pain. My eyes flew wide open at that, and my sleepiness vanished without a trace.

As he sat there groaning, I rubbed my hands and picked up my chopsticks. I looked at the people around me. They were all staring at us, dumbfounded.

Silence.

"Um, the food is going to get cold if we don't eat it soon. Let's eat, shall we?" I laughed nervously. My feet tapped the floor impatiently.

"... Oh, r-right... Let's eat..." Chie responded, her stiff smile twitching.

"Itadakimasu!" Rise said before picking up her chopsticks and diving into her food.

The morning went by quickly in the Amagi Inn.

* * *

**... Lesser than before, eh? I was afraid that it would become boring to read if I wrote too long for each chapter.**

**BTW, I decided to make Naoto a bit emotional in this chapter. I gave her personality a few tweaks, it was for the better. Hopefully she doesn't become weird. Please R&R?**


	11. Another Day Passes By

**Things start getting serious. Well, not really. Why, Namatame, did you have to strangle Nanako...? Oh wait, we haven't even gotten there yet.**

**Care to R&R?**

* * *

It was night time in the Shirogane Residence. I pulled open the curtains that decorated my room. I looked up and saw the full moon shining down on me. I breathed in the damp air. A trickle of water dropped onto my nose. A sign that it had just been raining. I sighed and wiped it away.

It was just a few days after the Culture Festival and the Hot Springs, and everything was well. There wasn't much rain, so I assumed we had to wait for another week or so for a full two-days rain. Not that I wanted trouble, of course. There was only too much peace and quiet. I get restless everytime a case goes unsolved for too long. Especially this murder case. When will this case end? Will we ever find true peace? Or will this have no end, and risk having Inaba completely enshrouded in fog, never to return to its normal splendor? Will all our hard efforts go to waste?

I ended up having lesser sleep then I intended, having brought these thoughts with me to bed.

* * *

Morning at school always goes by fast. Or at least, that was what I thought. Today, however, seemed a bit longer than usual. I gave lesser attention to schoolwork and focused more on day-dreaming. It gave me a tremendously negative effect, as every time I was called on to answer a question, I didn't know what the answer was, which made the teacher a bit disappointed.

Before I knew it, the school bell rang. I broke off from my thoughts and glanced at the clock next to the white board.

_12.00 pm._

_'It's just 12.00? I thought it's already after school. God... this is going to be one long day...'_ I thought crossly. I reluctantly picked up my bento and decided to eat on the rooftop, and not in class, as usual. I wanted to feel the wind on my face, and let all these thoughts vanish for a while.

I opened the door to the rooftop, and I was welcomed by the whistling of the wind and the soft chirping of birds. I smiled gently and took a seat near the edge of the roof, and gazed at the sky before opening the lid of my lunch. Thin wisps of clouds floated in the sky. One particular lump of cloud looked like a TV, and another looked like Teddie. Wait, what was I thinking?

The door opened again, and Kanji, Yosuke and Souji came out, carrying their own lunch. They were chattering to themselves loudly. Guy stuff, I guess.

"... Naoto? You're not with the other girls?" Yosuke took notice and waved.

I shook my head lightly. "... No. I wanted to be alone for a while." I twiddled with my food.

"So you mind if we sit here?" Souji asked.

"Um... No, really. I don't mind." I shrugged lightly.

Souji and Yosuke immediately sat down in a semi-circle in front of me, while Kanji still stood, scratching his head mindlessly. He was clearly confused in what to do.

"You can sit down too." I beckoned for him to sit. He nodded awkwardly and sat down next to Yosuke.

The boys chatted to each other excitedly and I listened as I ate, making simple comments as they glanced at me. They talked about various things, from their after school activities like soccer and basketball, part-time jobs, and many others. But none of them included the Midnight Channel or the sort.

I waited several more minutes, but still not the slightest mention of the Midnight Channel was heard. Just when I was about to open my mouth to say something, Souji interrupted.

"How about we go to the TV world after school?"

Yosuke and Kanji became silent. They didn't expect the drastic change in conversation from their usual everyday routine to our other supernatural mission which seemed very unrealistic compared to their realistic activities.

"Yes, that was just what I was going to suggest," I quickly agreed. "How about it, Yosuke-senpai? Kanji-kun?"

"... Uh, sure. But why the sudden suggestion? You kinda made me don't know what you were talking about for a minute there, ya know, the TV world and shadows and all..." Yosuke nodded. "... But I'm ready when you are."

"Hell yeah! 'S been a while. My powers are gonna get rusty if I don't train." Kanji grinned.

"Very well. Besides, we don't know who'll be kidnapped next. We have to ready ourselves by training. We've slackened off too much." I continued, estimating the amount of training we have to do later to get ourselves back in shape. "After school, then."

* * *

"So is everyone ready?" Rise asked quietly as we arrived in the electronics' department. Everyone nodded silently. We didn't want to attract any attention to ourselves, so we crept softly to the TV where we normally commence our missions.

"... You've changed your armor, Chie?" Yukiko observed. She twirled her fan a few times.

"Yeah. See, Daidara's made some armor for us, after we acquired the loot the shadows drop," Chie replied as she adjusted the new armor on her body. "Since we last trained on a rainy day, we've got some rare loot, and once Daidara found out about it, he wouldn't stop yapping about where we found it, how we found it or whatsoever." Chie laughed. "After an half hour later, he finally designed a little something for all of us, and boy, they were good! At least, mine is." She patted her armor proudly.

"None for me, Chie?" Yosuke asked while flipping his dual daggers.

"Why should I? Buy it yourself." Chie stuck her tongue out.

"Oh, I suppose you forgot about my credit card?" Yosuke tapped his chin thoughtfully. "And I saved up so much, too..."

"Uh..." Chie stammered.

"Oh, stop it, Yosuke-senpai," Rise slapped Yosuke's shoulder lightly. "You know she didn't mean it. What would you do if you didn't have any money to dress a particularly naked person with nothing but a bear suit on?" She took a glance at Teddie before returning her thoughtful gaze to Yosuke. "I'm sure you'd do the same thing."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I know, I'm sorry. Don't worry, I forgive you. But you still owe me." Yosuke held out his hand to Chie.

The brunette nodded and slapped Yosuke's hand a bit too hard that sent him kneeling while holding his now red hand. "Yep, I know! Don't worry, I'll pay ya back! Just be patient, okay? 'Cuz it won't be as fast as you think it will be."

"Hey, whaddaya mean by that!?" Yosuke yelped in shock. Both of them started over a whole new argument.

I shook my head helplessly. "There'll be no end to their bickering at this rate."

"This is what happens if a cat and a dog meet," Souji walked up next to me and winked. "A future couple, I suppose?"

"... H-Huh?" I responded awkwardly. Suddenly I felt my cheeks get hot for no reason. I turned away. What was wrong with me? "L-Let's just go into the TV, okay?"

I pushed my way quickly through the small group of people and jumped headfirst into the TV before anyone could see the blush forming in my cheeks. Something was definitely wrong with me today.

* * *

"What are we going to do today, sensei?" Teddie jumped up and down excitedly.

"Well, uh..." Souji glanced apologetically at me. "Since we don't have anyone to rescue for the time being, and no new dungeons yet... Will it be okay with you, Naoto?"

He was talking about training in my dungeon. There was a long pause before I replied. "... Very well, then," I sighed. "I... have to come, don't I?"

We walked silently to my dungeon. I took my time to gaze at the several buildings we passed and the streets we walked across. All of them held a tense atmosphere that made me shiver. We passed the liquor store, where Saki Konishi was murdered. I looked in Yosuke's direction. I thought I saw a hint of hurt and anger flash across his face. But it was only a second, because the next it was gone.

After that, we went past a lone castle standing in all its glory, if it wasn't filled with shadows. Yukiko and Chie were obviously pretending not to look in the castle's direction. The castle looked like a renovated version of the Amagi Inn.

We entered a thick, dark-looking forest not far from the castle and saw my hideout not long after. It was as creepy as ever, like it concealed some kind of terrible secret that was never to be found out.

"Okay, now let's split up--" Souji started but was cut off by Rise.

"Wait, senpai! I sense a powerful shadow on the lowest floor where Naoto-kun was!" Rise exclaimed. "Do you guys want to beat it?"

"You bet we wanna!" Kanji shouted fervently while swinging his _Death Scudetto_, a table that seemed capable of killing shadows with one blow.

"... Are you sure it's a good idea? I mean, it's powerful and unlike any other shadow, and we're still--" I began hesitantly.

"It's alright, Naoto-kun," Yukiko interrupted softly. "We're not that useless. I'm sure if we join together our powers, we will be unstoppable. Besides, we've beaten countless shadows like ths before."

"Yeah! We gotta stand up to a challenge! There's no such thing as stepping back in my dictionary." Chie acknowledged excitedly.

"Right then, let's speed down to the lowest floor. If you can, just dodge the minor shadows, to save some energy. If someone is caught by shadows, do not stay behind and help. Focus on our mission. And for the ones who are caught by shadows, defeat it immediately and keep going down. We've went past here before, we can do it. Ready everyone?" Souji commanded.

Everyone nodded determinedly, and without a word, we all ran inside as quietly as possible. The first, second, third and fourth floors were easy; the shadows were slow in realizing our presence, and when they did, we would already be out of their sight.

We arrived at the fifth floor. Only four more floors until we reach the lowest part of the dungeon. I panted a little; nearly all the floors' route changed and we ran into some dead-ends. And damn, they were all fast runners. They could enter the championships in the Olympics, I was sure of that. I was always near the last when I ran with them.

In this floor, the shadows were a little bit stronger. Kanji, Yosuke and Chie ran into some on the way, but they still joined us not long after.

"Man, the shadows are getting tougher, even though this isn't a rainy day." Chie panted as she ran up to us.

"I hope we don't run into those kind of machines..." Yosuke said worriedly.

"What do you mean? Those transformer-like things?" Kanji scoffed. "You're still scared of 'em? Don't be a scaredy-cat, senpai!"

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Yosuke replied, shaking his head violently. "It's just, we'd only be wasting our SP on those guys, since physical attacks don't work on them that much. Right?"

I nodded. "Yes, Dominating Machines do take up most of our SP. We have to take care not to run into them."

We continued to the sixth and seventh floor. By the eighth floor, trouble came to us unexpectantly. I slowed down my pace and everybody went ahead of me.

"What's wrong, Naoto-kun? We've got to hurry!" Yukiko looked behind at me.

"It's... alright... I'll follow... soon after you... Just give me a minute..." I heaved my chest heavily. All this running was really tiring me out.

"Alright, but don't take too long. We'll go ahead." Souji responded while starting to run again.

"But Souji-kun....--" Yukiko tried to speak.

Suddenly, a shadow materialized right in front of me. By now, my distance with the others was about a few meters away, but still too far to catch up. The shadow was too close for me to dodge. I screamed in surprise and fell back.

"Naoto!" The others cried out in unison. They started to rush after me, but I stopped them.

"No, don't come any closer! I-I can handle this!" I yelled. "Remember what Souji-kun said! 'Focus on your mission!' and don't hold back!" I pulled out my revolver as fast as lightening.

Souji understood and nodded. "Then we'll be waiting for you later. Come on, let's hurry!" He ushered the others to follow him, but were still reluctant to follow him.

"Believe in me, please!" I tried my best to assure the others. "Go on ahead! Follow our leader's orders!"

They finally gave up in trying to resist his orders and retreated. They glanced back at me a few times before turning round a corner.

I fell my gaze back to the shadow. It slowly took shape, growing bigger and larger. Finally, it formed into a Dominating Machine, which was what I feared we would be fighting the most.

I gulped but still kept my stance. I am not going to back out from this fight. Not now, not ever. This was going to be my first real trial, fighting a shadow by myself. There was no way the shadow'll get the better of me.

"Come on..." I growled threateningly. "Try me if you can!"

* * *

**Battle scenes? Not a pro. My first time writing them, even. So please forgive me if it turns out not to your liking in the next chap. Oh god, why did I ever agree to my friend's suggestion to write a chap about fighting scenes? Oh well, better to finish a work that has been started rather than leaving it undone.**

**R&R, I hope?**


	12. A Scar Not Too Deep

**Continuing... **

**P.S Please give me advice on how to deal with battle scenes! I'm just not confident with my skills...**

**Hope this isn't too ugly for a R&R? It was too lonely in the previous chapter. Maybe it's the exams season for most people?**

* * *

The machine took the first initiative as it readied its shiny metallic sword and brought it down to my direction. I would have been dead by that strike if I hadn't dodged at the last minute. My breath was coming in short gasps. My hand was sweaty and my head was spinning. A dent from the hilt of the sword was seen clearly from where I last was standing.

Not about to be beaten easily by the shadow, I shot it with my revolver, but it only flinched a little before concentrating on another attack. _'I see.'_I thought wearily. _'It's strong towards physical attacks. And it has an insane defense and attack rating. Darn you robots.'_

It tried another few hits at me but they rarely reached me. I jumped here, crouched there, and repeated the pattern a few more times, shooting him in vain all the while. I was moving like I was dancing a crazy waltz.

I tried another alternative. I dug into my pockets in hope to find a de-buff or two. Or maybe anything at all that could turn the flow of this fight to my luck. No luck. I suddenly gasped in horror. I forgot to ask for items from Souji. _'Dammit dammit DAMMIT!!'_ I cursed as I swiftly dodged another winding attack. _'Then how am I supposed to win this? Now I've got to be even more careful of my HP without any healing items! Stupid me, how could I be so careless!?'_

The robot sooner realized that its normal attacks weren't going to work on me, as I would avoid it as stealthily as a mouse, so it used another startling move. It swung its sword high up in the air and charged itself up, energy in the form of purple light shooting up from around it. It was readying itself for a death blow!?

I figured that I wouldn't go anywhere with all this dodging and jumping; it'll only waste even more energy, so I tried to use one of the available skills I had. _'What would be one way to ultimately kill it before it launches its deadly attack?'_ I thought frantically to myself. _'... I know! Mudoon and Hamaon! I hope one of it works...' _I steadied myself and took a deep breath.

"Sukuna-Hikona! Banish the shadow in one strike! Mudoon!!" I shouted while shooting a card that materialized in front of me. It shattered like fragile glass, and formed into Sukuna-Hikona, which signaled the start of the Dark spell with a swing of its energy sword.

Dark auras and words appeared in front of the shadow, attempting to consume it, but after a while the spell vanished into thin air, a sign that it had failed. The shadow grumbled in triumph. It suceeded in blocking Mudoon.

I gritted my teeth and shouted. "Hamaon!!"

A bright aura and spell in the shape of cards encircled the now ready shadow. The result turned out the same way as before. The shadow was immune to Light and Dark Spells.

I lost my footing and fell down. What was I going to do now? None of my attacks worked... Am I that useless? The painful thought made my eyes sting. It wasn't fair! Is this where I will fall before a mighty enemy? How am I going to assist the others if I can't even fight this one alone? I struggled to stand up on my now shaky legs. I was too selfish to even try fight alone. Did this serve me right? Or should I just run? No. If I ran away, then that would be the same as giving up my pride in battle. I have to stay strong...

The shadow wasted no time in waiting for me to recover. It roared a warning and launched its attack at me. A _Herculean Strike _was released and I was too slow to react. The force hit me full in the front and I staggered backwards.

"Argh..." I said painfully. My hat was blown away and my part of my clothes were ripped, especially from the shoulder down to my elbow. My arm was also bleeding. I clutched it in vain to stop the blood from flowing. My legs were trembling violently. I felt scratches on my face.

Was this really the end for me? A few more attacks and I'll be killed... _'Someone...'_ I thought pitifully. _'Help... me... I don't know... what to do anymore... some... one... anyone... I'm so selfish...' _I let a tear fall.

Suddenly a chime sounded in my head, and a familiar voice echoed.

' **... kun... to-kun... Naoto-kun!!!**'the voice spoke clearly in my head. '**Can you hear me!? It's me, Rise! We're at the lowest floor now! Where are you?**'

"I... can't... follow you... Please go on without me.." I muttered softly while sniffing a little. "I'm sorry, everyone... It looks like... I couldn't help you all enough... Please forgive... me..." I lowered my arms in defeat.

'**No!Don't say that!**' Rise scolded, her voice furious. '**You told us yourself, right!? That you'll come back to us! That we had to believe in you! And we do until now! Don't betray our trust in you, Naoto! I know you can do it!**'

"Rise-san..."

'**Are you really going to stop halfway, Naoto-kun?**' a new voice entered my mind. '**Please believe in yourself and come to us with victory in your hands. I'm positive you can do it.**' The others were beginning to encourage me through Rise's link with me.

"... Yukiko-senpai..."

'**You gotta measure up, Naoto! Are you just gonna give up and get yourself killed!? You gotta be kiddin' me!! Try harder, man!**' a rougher male voice spoke up.

"Kanji-kun..."

'**Don't think, Naoto-kun, feel! You have to let your instincts control you, and not your logic! You gotta have faith in yourself!**' a tomboyish voice piped up.

"Ch-Chie-senpai..."

'**Come on, Naoto, are you sure you want it all to end like this? Be brave! Act like a man, dammit! You know you have people waiting for you!**' another voice echoed.

"Yosuke-senpai..."

'**Teddie will aaaalways wait here for you, Nao-chan! Because Teddie believes that you'll emerge victorious!! Remember that we're unstoppable, Nao-chan! Not only in the Pageant, but in battles, too!**' an infectiously cheery voice spoke up.

"Teddie..."

'**Is this what you really want, Naoto?**' another said sternly but full of meaning. '**To just give up, and leave everything behind? What about your family, your friends, and us? If there's one thing that you need to improve, it's your motivation. Don't disappoint us, Naoto. Show your true powers. Make the shadows cower in fear. Don't let it stop you. Believe in yourself.**' His voice was strained, like he was holding something back.

"... Even Souji-kun..."

I shook my head and stood up, wiping the tears that had newly formed. No way. There's no way that I'll give up that easily! I have my life, my family and my friends who look out for me wherever I am. It's my duty to make sure they don't ever regret putting their trust in me. They're right; it's too early for me to give up and just sit down and let the shadow do what it wants! The desire to fight, the desire to protect and cherish... I have to live up to those words and to do what's right! There's no backing out!

"Thank you, everyone..." I said with a widening smile and turned back to face the idle shadow. "Now I'll return the suffering you have given me! Prepare to meet your demise!"

Without any more hesitating, I summoned Sukuna-Hikona to my side with a pull on the trigger. _'Please... let me borrow your powers. Give me your blessings.'_

Sukuna-Hikona seemed to understand, because it paused before letting out a high shrill. I smiled in satisfaction.

"Sukuna-Hikona! Mind Charge!"

A similar light like the Dominating Machine's Power Charge shot up from around me. I felt my powers being magnified, and I swore I could feel my fingers tingle with electricity. They just wouldn't stop trembling with power.

Before the shadow could react, I quickly summoned Sukuna-Hikona again, to cast the final blow.

"MEGIDOLA!!!!" I yelled to the top of my lungs.

It nodded in approval, and flew up and down in a triangular position in front of the stunned shadow and commenced the final blow with a long swing of its sword.

A ball of energy appeared above the shadow, but it was filled with more energy than usual, since I charged up my attack. I felt the ball absorb my energy as it grew larger and larger. I was beginning to feel exhausted, but I still managed to stand.

As the ball couldn't get any bigger, it crashed down upon the shadow, causing it to explode to small pieces of shard, a final cry escaping from it. As it exploded, a strange bright light was emitted and I half-stumbled backwards, not wanting to get too close. The light was blinding me, but luckily it was over in a minute.

Everything was silent. The only sound was my breath coming in short gasps, and my stomach churning. I didn't have any energy left within me as I fell limply to the floor. The pain in my wounds washed over me like a tide, and I held back the pain by biting my lip and leaning over.

'**Naoto-kun? Naoto-kun? Are you okay?**' Rise entered my mind again, but I was too dazed to respond. '**Please answer me!**'

I forced myself from my position and stood up, as painful as it was. Now wasn't the time to rest. I still had to find the others, find the stairs and go down. But I halted my footsteps when a dreadful thought crossed my mind. What if I encounter more shadows along the way? What do I do then? I have no items, not much health points remaining, and no spirit points either. I picked up my hat from a nearby place and checked it for torn edges before placing it on my head.

"Oh no..." I said weakly.

'**Naoto-kun! Please answer me! What's wrong? You won, right? I heard you win myself! So what's the matter now? Did you... oh.**' She said as she finally realized the reason I groaned. '**Lemme scan your destination for a sec.**' She paused for a short while before continuing. '**... If it's shadows your worried about, then no worries, they're all gone! Just continue on the path you're on until you meet a door. Open it and go right. There'll be another door, but once you open it, you'll find the staircase leading to the inner chambers. If you do it quick enough, I promise there'll be no shadows. We'll be waiting.**' She bid a temporary farewell and shut her link from my mind.

"Easier said than done." I grumbled as I summoned up every last bit of my energy to walk-more likely, _limp_- the few more steps leading to the lowest floor. Before I did, however, I picked up something from the floor, probably the remains of the shadow, but it looked different and valuable, so I stored it inside my pocket.

* * *

"Hey, there she is! Hey, Naoto!" Rise shouted as she ran over to me. "You finally came! We thought you'd never come and had to go back up and drag you here! And hey, what's with the limping?" Her eyes widened as she took notice of the scratches and wounds that nearly covered my whole body. "Oh my god, Naoto!! Are you alright!? Someone help me over here!" She beckoned the others panickedly.

I managed a weak smile. "No... it's okay... I can still do it..." But before I could continue, I collapsed to the floor. Everything seemed like it was spinning wherever I look. I closed my eyes in an attempt to shake the dizziness out of my head.

I heard voices shouting here and there. Some answered in affirmation.

"Someone, support her back!"

"You do it."

"H-Huh? Me?"

"Yukiko-senpai, here, can you please heal Naoto-kun?"

"Yes, yes I can. Oh my god, Naoto-kun, what have you been going through? _Amaterasu!_' She seemingly summoned her persona. I could only hear the sound of breaking glass as I felt a warm presence beside me.

"_Diarahan!_"

I felt a warm feeling engulf me, and the next minute my pain vanished away into thin air. My wounds closed up again, also erasing trails of blood from my skin. Sadly, the tear in my clothes _woudn't _close up, as I still felt my bare arm of where the wound used to be.

I opened my eyes again, and found several concerned ones staring back at me. My back was being supported by Kanji, and Rise was kneeling in front of me.

"Are you all right now, Naoto-kun?" She asked worriedly. "Does it still hurt anywhere?" She touched my shoulder softly.

I stifled a groan before supporting my own body. My bones were stiff. "No, I'm fine, thank you. I must also apologize for causing you all nothing but trouble."

"Yes, actually, you did cause us a lot of trouble."

Everyone was shocked as they wheeled their eyes on the one who spoke. It was Souji. He was leaning against a nearby wall and tapped his _Yahiro _sword nonstop. He looked like he was straining to hold his anger back.

"... Have you realized that what you did was unbelievably reckless?" Souji's eyes, which were previously closed, re-opened and was staring at me. Although his voice was calm, but his eyes were blazing with mixed feelings that consisted of concern, anger and hurt. And something a little more. "What did I tell you, Naoto? What did I tell all of you!? That if a shadow is too hard to beat, or just not worth it, just escape!! Why, Naoto, why!? You could've been easily killed if Rise hadn't come and encourage you first! You had severe wounds, yet you still fight on, when you could just easily run. What do you call that!?" Now a hint of emotion was starting to appear in his voice. This was a part of Souji I've never seen before. I bowed my head in shame as I felt every word he said strike me painfully.

"I-I'm... sorry," I apologized as I didn't know what else to say. "I just... I just wanted to prove to myself... prove to all of you... that I'm not so useless, that I could protect you all, too! I don't want to be a burden..."

"Whoever said you were useless, Naoto?" Chie said before Souji could make another comeback.

"Yeah, and you were never a burden to us all!" Rise assured.

One by one, they started to agree, and I nodded to each of them with a small smile. The only one who was still silent was Souji. He was looking in the opposite direction. An uneasy silence began to form between us.

Without another word, Souji strolled over to the door across the room, which led to my chambers, where a strong shadow now dwelled. "Yukiko, you'll be the main healer of this battle. Heal anyone who is hurt."

"I understand, Souji-kun." Yukiko replied, while standing up to unfurl her fan, the _Noblesse Oblige_, the legendary fan said to have existed from centuries ago, and is considered to be the most elegant fan in history.

"Chie and Kanji, you two will be attacking the shadow with full force. Do not stop and help another ally. Concentrate on your tasks." He continued.

"Got it." Chie and Kanji said in unison, Chie already trying her kung-fu moves with her greaves, the _Gigant Fall_, while Kanji was stretching his arms.

"Teddie, you're in charge of buffing the party and de-buffing the enemy. Keep your eyes on the job. You have a big role here."

"Yes, sir!!" Teddie mocked a salute.

"Yosuke, you can do whatever you like. I suggest teaming up with Kanji and Yosuke though, but you'll be more of the bait. You'll attract the shadow's attention away from the battle. And if we are hit with stat penalties or the enemy has buffed itself up, nullify it. Other than that, you're free to do what you wish."

"Roger that, partner!" He nodded enthusiastically, while flipping his _Kasuteirianaihu _kunais.

"Rise, you'll scan the enemy, as usual."

"I'll do my best, Leader!" Rise grinned.

As I myself was about to stand up, Souji glanced over his shoulder at me. "Naoto will stay here." He gave me a stoic expression and his voice was stone cold.

I stared blankly as Souji and the rest of the group opened the door and charged into battle and shouting battle cries. I didn't believe what he said. I was told to stay behind. Staying behind meant that you were a disgrace to the team, and wanted nothing more to do with you, so they just brush you away. After a while, my sight blurred, and I wiped at the tears forming on the edge of my eyes. Everything was so _unfair_!!

"I'm still new in these kinds of things... why won't you give me a chance!?" I muttered darkly.

Rise, who was in the middle of scanning, cut off from the process for a second and crouched down beside me, who was still sitting on the floor. She unexpectedly gave me a short, quick hug which was meant to be a comforting one.

"I'm sorry, Naoto... that Souji had to be so aggressive. But you know," Rise turned me to face her so she could stare directly into my eyes. "He's like that because _cares_ about you. Cares about all of us, actually. He doesn't want you being reckless all the time. Don't act like those fictional detectives in novels, the stubborn, hard ones, because they don't suit you at all." She said with a gentle yet firm tone.

For an instant I felt my temper surge up again. I shoved her hand off my shoulders. "What would you know about me? Do you even know why I act like that!? I... I-I..." I broke off since I realized I _didn't _know why I acted like them. Why did I? Was it just for fun? Or did I just do it because I wanted to be like them? My cheeks flushed slightly.

"Naoto... Naoto-kun..." Rise sighed, while shaking her head. She looked me in the eyes again. "Just be yourself. No one's forcing you to be like another totally different person. You'll be more appreciated that way, you know? Even Souji said so."

I blinked. "... S-Souji-kun... said so...?"

"Yeah. He said... uh, never mind! Oh, I've got to get back to scanning or else they'll get mad at me next!" She finished her sentence rather awkwardly and abruptly stood up while summoning _Kanzeon _to assist her in scanning just before I could further interrogate her.

I was dead curious about what Souji said, but no matter how many times I try to pry more information out of her, she wouldn't budge from her position.

I leaned on the wall and stared at the battle going on ahead. They all looked like they were having fun, not having to face a burden like I did. After a little while, my mind went elsewhere.

I had to admit, this acting-like-another-person was very tiring. I had to be careful with everything I said, and had to go as far as disguising my own gender. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. It gave off the feeling that I was overly addicted to those kinds of things.

After a few moments, I spoke without taking my eyes off the heat of the battle.

"Rise-san?" I continued even though she might not hear me.

"Thank you. I'll try to act like myself from now on." I sneaked a glance over at Rise as I said that.

A small smile graced her lips. No more words were spoken. Or needed to be spoken.

* * *

**I was confused whether to make Naoto lose or not... then I decided to let Naoto win but just barely alive. Am I cruel? Sorry, Naoto...**

**... I've just realized my grammar is... horrible. From the start. Whenever I compare it to other fanfics, I feel like I want to shrink. Not in size, of course. Someone care to help...? Ha... ha... ha...*shrugs helplessly***

**R&R?**


	13. Destined Rainfall

**This took some time. I'm sorry, I wanted to take a small break but perhaps my break may have taken a bit too long. Well, here it **

**P.S There is a note at the very bottom about a certain video that has a connection with this chapter. You can open the link if you wish.**

* * *

"I'm home..." I sighed wearily as I closed the door behind me. It was raining heavily outside, and I was drenched to the skin. The downpour started the minute we came out of the TV. Luckily I brought a jacket with me, and I hugged it around my body, in hopes of Grampa and Yakushiji not seeing my... rather inconvenient state. If they did, I would never hear the stop of their bickering. Or worse, I could be grounded.

I hugged the front of my jacket tighter as Yakushiji-san walked out of the kitchen in an apron, probably preparing dinner.

"Naoto-sama, you're finally home! Where have you been? Your clothes are drenched! Hurry and go change, after that you may eat with your grandfather. I cooked a delicious dinner for you two." He scolded lightly.

"I'll do it right away. Oh, and grandfather's home already? He comes home pretty infrequent nowadays," I said, my dark mood slowly lifting. "I'll come down as soon as I can. Tell him to wait for me." I added as I hurried upstairs, not standing to be in this wet uniform any longer.

* * *

Dinner in the household was pleasant, especially with the three of us together. At least, I had hoped it was pleasant. It was rare having my grampa back in the house so early, usually he was out occupied with a case or such. My dream was to become like him someday, regardless of my gender, as I -or more precisely my _shadow_- had blurted out back when I didn't have a persona.

We talked about many things, starting from my daily life to my friends in the Investigation Squad.

"So... about these friends of yours, Naoto," He striked up another topic as he ate. "You've been spending quite some time with them, I hear? That is a relief. You have always been alone until now."

I frowned as I poked my food irritatedly. "You sound as if you're interrogating me. Does it bother you if I have some friends?"

He gave a hearty chuckle. "No, no, not at all. It's only natural for a grandfather to worry about his only granddaughter, is it not? Forgive me if I went too overboard."

"O-Oh..." A tinge of embarrassment appeared in my cheeks. _He was only worrying about me. Why am I acting so belligerent?_ "No, I must apologize. I was mistaken."

"... But I am a little curious about this man you call Souji," He pondered with a relaxed expression on his face. "Tell me about him."

"H-Huh? Wh-Why the sudden interest in him, grampa?" I half-stuttered. What in the world would he want to know about our leader?

"He sparks some interest in me. You both seem close. Go on, tell me about him." He urged, resting his hands below his chin.

"C-Close!?" I squeaked reflexively. He wasn't this curious with anyone before. I sighed in defeat. There was no use in resisting. Grampa won't ever cease in prying more information out of me until he gets it. "He's... kind, but can be very frightening if you displease him. He's very caring of his friends. He, uh... is just like any other boy his age, except that he has to juggle three after-school part time jobs while pursuing high grades, which is rather hard for a normal person. He's actually the top in his year! He works at a day-care center, a janitor, and if I'm not mistaken, he tutors...--" I counted the jobs with my fingers while keeping in mind not to mention a word about the TV world but paused when I saw that Grampa was gazing at me with a twinkle in his eyes. "... What's the matter, Grampa?"

Grampa laughed in amusement. "You seem to know about him alot. You even included the finer details, which you seldom do. Have you taken a liking to him, my dear?"

I gasped at my grandfather's - rather precise- deduction in shock. "N-No! O-Of course not, I... I..." I shook my head ferociously. I was at a lost for words. "... Grampa, how could you think like that? You know I'm doing this because he was a former suspect of the murder cases here, in Inaba, which is why I am here this very minute. I... I have no intention of liking any man here. I am solving a very important case here, not having callow love affairs!"

"But haven't you been taken off of the investigation? Why are you still trying to solve the case?" His cheerful voice took on a serious tone again.

"Even though I have been taken off the investigation, but still, that won't stop me from reaching the conclusion of this case. I have vowed to get to the very bottom of this case without any regrets. If I give up, I'll have no pride and no will to continue on. I assume that must be the same for you and your own case?" I said assertively.

Grampa's gaze bore into me like a flashlight, looking for any hint of uneasiness or hesitation from my declaration. I kept my defiance until a few minutes passed and Yakushiji, who was eating silently this whole time, stood up and cleared his throat softly.

"Excuse me Shirogane-sama, may I take your plate now, since you have finished eating?" Yakushiji offered nervously, the tension and silence unnerving to him.

"Oh yes please, thank you, Yakushiji-san. I am grateful for your kind offer." Grampa broke his stare as he allowed Yakushiji to take his now empty plate.

I gazed down at my half-finished food and pushed it to Yakushiji. "I'm done eating, too. Thank you for the meal. Please excuse me while I get ready for school tomorrow." I stood up cautiously and bowed my head a little before exiting the room. It was clearly sketched in my face that I didn't want to stay a minute longer in there, and having myself to be completely hypnotized by my grandfather. This was one of the things that annoyed me about him, he can always analyze that person to see if the said person is telling the truth or not.

_Does he think I'm not fit for this job!? Is it because I'm a female, and female detectives aren't really fit for detective work? But it was YOU who let me realize my dream, why would you stop me now? Or are you just doubting me...?_ I let these angry thoughts swirl endlessly in circles around my head until my head hit the soft surface of a pillow, where all of it vanished without a trace as I drifted off almost immediately to slumber.

Before I entirely fell asleep however, a thought struck my mind. _'I wonder if he's still angry at me...'_

* * *

_Today is going to be a bad day. I knew it. Just being late to school proves it. _I cursed under my breath as I ran hurriedly up the steep road towards Yasogami High. I forgot to set my alarm last night, and nobody bothered to wake me up.

The steep road finally gave way to the school gates, which were slowly closing every step I took. I gathered up every last bit of my energy to run faster, in hopes to reach the gates in time before it closes.

Luckily, the two seperate steel gates were still a few meters away from the other, and I slipped through quite easily in regard of my slender figure. I took my time panting for a moment before walking in. It was no use running now, I was already late. I could see my class teacher taking the absent roll from the window of my class.

I looked up to the second floor's windows, trying to spot my seniors, but they weren't there, or rather, weren't sitting near the window. It was so high up.

I took off my shoes and placed them in my locker before heading to class.

* * *

Nothing else went wrong that morning, all was fine. For my punishment I was only asked to bring some stuff to the Practice Building, which consisted of a cardboard box filled with cooking utensils and manuals.

It was after school that my life suddenly felt like hell. Just when I was about to retrieve my school bag from my classroom, it had to rain. Yes, rain. And not just any light rain, either. Heavy sheets of rain piled down from the sky, instantly drenching anyone who accidently walked into it.

I had noticed that morning that a lot of students were carrying umbrellas, even though it was a bright, sunny day. I thought they were just out of their mind, or just drunk in the heat. I mean, who would bring an umbrella in dry weather? Then the realization hit me. They weren't insane or out-of-their minds, they were just going to school prepared for the rain in the afternoon. They _knew _there was going to be rain. Damn, why hadn't I watched the morning forecast at home? If only I woke up earlier, then this probably wouldn't have happened.

I decided to wait for the heavy rain to stop, or until it dissolved into a drizzle. It didn't matter if I came home late; at least I wouldn't have to catch a cold on the way home and have Grampa and Yakushiji concerned about my well-being. I stood at my usual place, in front of the board which was near the faculty office and bathroom.

Then a thought struck me. _Oh yes, why haven't I thought of this before? I should call Yakushiji-san to pick me up and bring a spare umbrella... or maybe drive our SUV here. But it may look a little awkward to the other students... imagine needing a driver to pick you up when it's completely unnecessary and for no good reason, when you could just easily walk home and save the gasoline. Ah, but I probably deserve that. _I whippped out my cellphone and dialed Yakushiji-san's number. Just as I was about to press the green button used to call, the screen went black. That only meant one thing. The battery, of all the others that could have happened, ran out.

A few minutes passed, or maybe hours, I didn't know, but the rain was pouring as heavily as ever. It definitely showed no signs of stopping. I was alone in the corridor, everyone else had probably gone home and enjoyed a long dinner or snack. I wondered if I could just borrow a phone from the Faculty Office, but once I tried to open the handle, it didn't budge. I sighed and wondered if I should just risk going home in the rain even though there was a high chance that I'll get a fever, for the sake of the people back at home. It was already five minutes past my curfew, and I was certain I wouldn't be getting home any sooner than that.

I couldn't stand it there any longer. The halls were quiet, and I was convinced fully that I was alone in the school. I glared at the entrance in front of me. It was growing dark outside, and if I don't hurry home, Yakushiji would definitely overreact, as would Grampa.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming down from the upper floor. I froze in alarm and immediately stood with my back arched toward the stairs. I thought I was alone... _'No, I _am _alone... there shouldn't be anyone else here besides me... then whose footsteps are those? Their getting louder and louder by the minute. Could it be the rumored Yasogami ghost? Argh, what in the world am I thinking? I couldn't actually believe those pointless rumors, right?'_ I shuddered and shut my eyes tightly. As brave as I may be -at least on the outside-, I still couldn't stand things that had a connection with spirits of the undead. It just... scared me. But I wasn't about to let this get out though. This is to remain a secret... forever.

The footsteps became louder and louder until it completely stopped. I was afraid to open my eyes as I felt a presence come closer to me. _'Oh god, if you're there, please protect me...'_ I prayed silently to myself, hoping that the fear didn't show on my face.

A hand tapped my back softly and I shrieked abruptly in fear and jerked backwards. "AAAAGH!!! Please please PLEASE don't hurt me or my family, I beg of you please, what have I done to deserve this!?!? I'll give you anything you want, but please, leave me in peace!!" A load of gibberish spilled out of my mouth. This was what always happened when I succumbed to my instincts. A side of me that was so... not me.

"... Naoto? You're... I never knew you're that kind of person..." A familiar voice spoke shakily, a hint of amusement evident in his voice.

I blinked in shock as I adjusted my watery eyes to the figure in front of me. "... What? It's just you?" I sighed heavily in relief. "You scared me half to death just before....... wait, scared...?" I gasped in terror and grabbed his arms quite forcefully. "S-S-Senpai!!! Please don't speak of this in front of the others, ok!? Don't tell absolutely ANYONE!! If you do, I could... c-could..."

He snickered. "I wonder what they'll say if they knew a professional detective, moreover a Detective Prince, is scared of ghosts...?"

"Senpai." I uttered the word with a threatening tone. "I'm serious."

"Don't worry, I'm not that evil." He smiled quite endearingly. "So... what are you doing here so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Souji-kun." I could feel a tinge of red forming on my cheeks.

"Oh, me? Well, uh..." Souji scratched his head nervously. "I was late this morning, and Kashiwagi made a big deal out of it and told me to pick up some things after school or else she'll put her panties in my locker." His nose wrinkled. "... Disgusting. I can't even imagine what it'll look like."

I laughed. "Really? It must be tiring to have Ms. Kashiwagi as homeroom teacher."

"Believe me, Mr. Morooka was WAY better than Kashiwagi. Man, everybody can be late every once in a while. Why is it me who always gets the blame?" Souji mumbled.

"Oh yes, what a coincidence. I was late this morning, too." I said as I emptied my shoe locker while he took out his shoes from his own, which was across from mine. I came across something white and I took it out, introspecting it. A letter. "This..." I paused as I continued to observe it some more.

Souji walked over to me and peered around my shoulder, his grouchiness overcome by growing curiosity. "What's that?"

I turned around so I could face him clearly. "This was in my shoe locker." I held the letter firmly in my hand for him to see.

"Ooh... A challenge for a duel?" His eyes perked up.

I laughed heartily in response. "You're quite old-fashioned, aren't you?" He could be very funny or annoying if he wanted to.

"Hey, I thought the Detective Prince gets those kinds of letters once in a while... you know, like Raidou Kuzunoha? He always gets those--" He whined.

"You've been watching far too many movies, senpai," I cut him off abruptly. "And stop calling me that. It's getting in my nerves. Now, back to the letter." I gazed back down at the letter in my hands. "Judging by the name and the handwriting, the sender is a woman. She thoughtfully provided her year and class." I studied the neat cursive handwriting on the envelope addressed to me. _Kouka Moriyama, Year 3 Class 3 _was written at the top left. Who in heaven's name is she? I turned the letter over and glanced at the seal. "When one factors in the heart-shaped seal as well, it's hard to imagine that this is related to my job in any way. In other words," I continued while folding the envelope into a much littler piece and tucked it in my pocket. "There is no need to read it."

Souji stayed silent as I sighed. "I apologize. I wasted your time with this pointlessness. How misleading... a sealed letter at a time like this."

"What if it's from a guy?" Souji inquired teasingly.

"... What exactly are you implying, Souji Seta?" I glared at him in irritation. My blush became more evident as I tried to brush it away. Souji sending a love letter to me? How ridiculous. Wait, why am I thinking about him!? A guy could be anyone, not just him. "Whether the sender is a male or female, I have no intention of responding." I added. "I have no time to be dilly-dallying with love affairs... I assume that is true for you?" I was trying my best to convince myself to try and stay focused. "Saying they love me without even knowing me... Ludicrous. A senior should know that more than anyone." I scoffed. "... Let's go."

As I turned towards the exit, I had noticed that the rain STILL hadn't subsided. Today was completely not my luck. "Drat, the rain still hasn't stopped." I muttered loud enough for Souji to hear.

"... You don't have an umbrella, Naoto?" Souji asked. He was was holding one in his hand, which I didn't notice all this time.

I looked away sheepishly. "Um... no, I uh, left it at home. B-But it's okay! I can still go home without one!" I said as I waved my hands frantically, trying to convince him. _I don't need to trouble him with walking me home, it's not the right time for that now!_

"Come on. I'll share mine with you." He tugged my arm as we walked to the door.

"W-Wait, senpai, I...!" I stopped and tried to pry my hand off. It was no use, his grip on me was too strong, yet firm and gentle. It was useless to argue with him, he just wouldn't listen to a word I say. I sighed. "Fine. But you really shouldn't have bothered. I could have gone home by myself."

The rain pattered hard and loud against the road as we walked out of the gates in silence. I could feel our shoulders brushing by the closeness. I swore I heard someone snickering in the bushes, but it was quickly lost as soon as I swerved my head toward the voice. It was probably just my imagination. Who in their right mind would be in a _bush_? Except for eavesdropping, perhaps...

Wait, eavesdropping?

"Um, senpai, do you... hear anything?" I asked reluctantly to the gray-haired young man.

"Hear anything? All I hear is the rain pattering on the ground. What do you mean?" I could feel his warm breath on my cheeks as he turned his head towards me quizzically. We slowed down our pace.

"N-Nothing. I swear that I thought I heard someone snickering behind us, but if someone with instincts as sharp as you doesn't hear anything, then I might as well be imagining things. Just forget about it." I replied with a shaky laugh. We continued to walk in silence.

The rain was comforting, in a way. I was at a loss for words, and the rain covered the unyielding silence with its rythmic beating on the ground.

"Um... senpai?" I tried to speak again.

"What is it, Naoto?" His gaze was set firmly to the front.

"I, err... Are... are you still..." I was stumbling over my own words. I twiddled with my thumbs. "A-Are you still... mad at me?"

"... You mean last time? About your encounter with that shadow?" His face was expressionless.

"Y-Yes..." I replied slowly. I remembered in great clarity the expression on his face when he circumscribed me from joining him in battle. I had a feeling that I was going to have a rough time forgetting that, if I wanted to.

He closed his eyes. "Just so you know, I'm not angry anymore. There's no more reason to. But you do understand, do you?" He averted his gaze to meet my eyes. "Why I was angry?"

"Ah... yes, I do." I was trying to break off the eye contact, but it was too hard. His eyes had something in them that made me want to never let go. "I was too reckless... I'm sorry, Souji-kun. I was thinking solely about myself, and not thinking of any of your feelings at all."

He smiled wryly. "I know. But I just feel so angry to myself. I can't bear having you or the others get hurt. If any of you do, then the blame's going to be all on me. I was the one who triggered the start of the murders. Even my own uncle said so. Maybe if I weren't here, Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi wouldn't have been murdered! Inaba wouldn't have to be so badly threatened with these murders!" He was battering himself up overwhelmingly.

"Senpai..." I muttered, not knowing what to say next. I wasn't used to these sort of things... having Souji-kun-- the _leader_ reveal his troubles to me... I didn't know how to take it all in. He trusted me enough for that. But I was afraid he was confiding in the wrong person. I've never been confided to before like this. It may disappoint him if I give the wrong answer.

I patted his back as supportively as I could. "I know, Souji-kun. I know. But please, don't batter yourself up like this. It isn't entirely your fault. I doubt this was even your fault from the start. You _weren't _the one who started the string of murders until now... our serial killer did, and now we're here to help you find him. It's not your fault at all. I believe we were fated to solve this. With you. You're destined to help wake the powers in us and save the world. Don't go denying that. We are going to unravel the truth, and nothing will stop us from pursuing it, right Leader?"

He blinked. "Uh... yeah." His voice became sure. "Yes, we will. Thanks for your support, Naoto, who knows what I would become if it weren't for you."

I blushed lightly, which didn't go unnoticed by the ash haired young man.

He chuckled genuinely. "You know, maybe I'm not so luckless after all."

My eyebrows twitched. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Oh, here's your house. You'd better get inside before your folks send out a patrol for you." The young silverette avoided the question with ease as we stopped in the porch of my house.

"Wa-Wait, Souji-kun, I haven't gotten a straight answer from you yet..." I trailed off as he waved his hand hurriedly and walked away, leaving me alone. His footsteps started to fade and finally blended with the pattering of the rain.

The front door opened and my Grampa's dark-gray haired secretary walked out hastily. His eyes widened as he noticed me standing there vacuously. "Naoto-sama, where in the heavens above have you been!? Have you realized what time this is!? This is already past your curfew! Hurry in, hurry in! Thankfully, your grandfather isn't home yet. If he is, who knows what he might have done!" He cried out as he practically dragged me inside.

* * *

After I earned quite a long lecture from Yakushiji about lateness and a long hot bath and ate my dinner, he handed me a letter. "Here, I found this in the mail today. I think this is addressed to you, but it doesn't have a return adress."

I widened my eyes in wonder. _'Could it be...?'_

There was only one way to find out. I walked with hurried steps to my room and turned the lock on my room. I jumped onto my bed and took a relaxed position before opening the envelope delicately. There might be some kind of clue on the envelope, so I took extra care in taking out the folded letter.

I opened the letter and the same, neat handwriting like before was shown. Somehow it looked familiar, but it just didn't ring a bell on who it was in my head.

_Dear Detective,_

_Your prized possessions are in my hand. The game is afoot._

_- The Phantom Thief_

"What the hell is this all about!? Prized possessions...? Like what?" I said with exasperation. What prized possessions do I have? "I don't recall anything that has a valuable meaning to it in my room... especially the time the thief broke in."

I sighed half-heartedly and placed the envelope with the letter next to my bed. This new case would have to wait until tomorrow, when I can ask Souji to accompany me. That is, if he is willing to.

* * *

**A/N: Um, yeah, I guess that's it.*shrugs* Well, the rain sequence really was in the game, around Rank 3 to 4 or something. Sadly, it is only an outtake, in other words, not used in the game. You can see it in youtube, if you want to. This is the link: **

www(dot)youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v=2G-uNLdd0Es

**Or, you can access via the manual way. Just hit the search box in Youtube and type in "Persona 4 Outtake". And voila!**

**... Back to the story, please RnR...**


	14. Endless Rumors

The yesterday thoughts plagued my mind as I walked torpidly to school. The air was unusually heavy, and had a hint of moist in it. Fortuitously, I brought my umbrella, remembering that I didn't bring one yesterday and had to walk home soaked in rain if it weren't for Souji. I kept the umbrella tucked against one arm and my schoolbag in the other.

The phantom thief was just going to burden me, when I already had my hands full with the this one. My stomach gave a little flutter. A little part of me _was _curious about this so-called Phantom Thief, though. I knew this was ridiculous, but I wondered what he or she would do. If it weren't for Souji, I wouldn't have brought this to my attention at all. Just because he was my leader, nothing else. I had only agreed to solve this negligible case just because I didn't want him to underrate me. Wait, why did I become this calculative of him? What mattered if I wasn't worthy in his eyes? Regularly I wouldn't mind what people thought of me. May that be mysterious, devious, dark-looking or anything at all I wouldn't care.

Maybe I'm feeling this way because he's our leader. Yes, that must be it.

... Right?

"NA-O-TO-KUN!" A hand clamped my shoulder from behind as I was jerked out of my unsettling thoughts. The voice pronounced each syllable clearly, and sort of like it had another meaning in it.

"Gaah!! Huh?" I blinked my eyes in bewilderment. "Oh, good morning, everyone. Hm?" I blinked inquisitively as I looked at them one by one. "Where's Souji-senpai?"

"Ooh, looking for your boyfriend now, eh...?" Chie prodded me playfully. Her hazel eyes had a strange kind twinkle in them. Rise was eyeing me with jealousy, Yukiko was grinning strangely, Yosuke was whistling and Kanji was looking away.

"... What...?" I replied in confusion. Then it clicked into my mind. "Wh-What!? No, you have got it all wrong! We're not going out! What are you saying?" They thought I was going out with Souji! What the--

"Yo."

A wave of a hand interrupted the edgy conversation as an all-too familiar face approached us. Who was definitely _not _the right time and place to be here.

"Ah, he's here! Perfect timing, pal! Your girlfriend was just looking for you!" Yosuke grinned wickedly.

"Girlfriend...? What're you--"

"I wasn't looking for him, Yosuke-senpai!" I replied in a huff, engaged in the heated conversation. "I was just _asking _where he was, since he's not here with you! That doesn't mean that I'm his...... Oh, uh, hello... aha.. ha.." I grinned self-consciously to Souji, who was looking at me wide-eyed. "P-Please don't listen to them, they're just spouting some useless gossip."

"Okay then, you can ask Souji-senpai," Kanji interrupted wittily. "What is it called when two people walk under one umbrella?"

"GAAAHH!!!!" I interrupted too late. So _they _were the ones snickering in the bushes behind us yesterday!! Damn, if I had been more alert...! "It's nothing! NOTHING! You heard nothing!"

"Oh, you're getting red, Naoto-kun." Chie teased roguishly.

"No I am not!" I covered my cheeks desperately, trying to cover my growing embarrassment. My irritation was growing as well. "Please stop that."

"Guys... We're not..." Souji began uncertainly.

"Naoto-kun... I wish that you would be more straight-forward with us..." Yukiko sighed impishly. "We're your friends, right?"

"Oh, really?" My temper was rising and I had to do something quick about it before it bursts. I had enough of this nonsense. They were forcing me to admit something that wasn't true, and from what I know, that could become a crime. "_Friends _wouldn't force each other to admit falsehoods, would they?" My shoulders were quivering with silent anger. I wanted to say more, but that would just entirely ruin the mood.

"Naoto, we were just... I'm sor--" Rise began to lift her hand. Her eyes began to water.

"No... just, no. Please..." I shook my head and sealed my eyes shut in concealed fury and regret. "I-I'm going ahead."

Before they could respond, I whirled backwards on my heels and ran off to the school gates. I didn't care what they said about me anymore, or if I had hurt them. All I cared was that I had given them a piece of my mind. The rest was up to them, whether to apologize or stay quiet.

* * *

"... Now we're going to have a word quiz." The teacher rapped his ruler on his desk for attention. "Let's see who the lucky winner will be... Ah, I see you're exceptionally edgy today, Shirogane-san. Would you mind standing up please?"

I stood up with a lurch, and my chair jerked back brutally with a loud scrape. I winced. My anger from that morning still remained, it seemed. "...Y-Yes, sensei?"

"Hm... I have a question for you..." The teacher hummed while pacing back and forth from his table to ours. "... Tell me a word that has minimal 100 letters. And definitions included, if you please."

The class errupted in a rush of objections and uproars.

"Is he completely out of his mind or what!?"

"That shouldn't be considered a quiz. Man, this isn't that _Who Wants To Be A Millionare _show!"

"Thank god I wasn't picked on... who knows what he would do to me if I couldn't answer..."

"Poor Naoto, I wonder how she'll respond?"

"A word that has a minimum of one-hundred letters?" I replied calmly but my head was spinning in angry circles, partly from that morning and another from now. That teacher was completely, and undoubtly insane. "_Lopadotemachoselachogaleokranioleipsanodrimhypotrimmatosilphioparaomelitokatakechymenokichlepikossyphophattoperisteralektryonoptekephalliokigklopeleiolagoiosiraiobaphetraganopterygon_. It means a Greek dish that contains about seventeen ingredients. This word has a total of 182 letters, quite higher than your minimum expectations." I answered jubilantly but a bit edgily. I just blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. If I was still my calm, usual self, I would have had a higher chance of the teacher taking advantage over me but still, that was not going to happen. Ever.

Maybe being edgy does have its values after all.

The class was silent in astonishment and traumatization, as if they had just seen a real live alien. I felt their eyes glued to me from several directions. The atmosphere was deathly quiet. Not one human being in that very classroom uttered a word, or even a sound.

I felt the urge to further tease the older man. "... But if you are still not satisfied, _sensei_, I can very well articulate another. Let's see, this one has a total amount of 189,819. It is a chemical name of the largest known protein which is _Methionylthreo_--" Anyone could easily misunderstand the situation of who is teaching who.

"I-I believe the first one will suffice, Shirogane-san." The flabbergasted teacher interrupted as he stiffly straightened his tie and re-adjusted his round glasses. He had just discovered his own student had outsmarted him. "I-I... e-err.."

At that very moment the bell rang and every one of the students in the class shot out of their seats chattering wildly to each other, every moment in a while pausing to steal a glance at me. I was rising in popularity while his was drowning. He stood gaping like an idiot, not knowing what to do, isolated from the students and everyone else.

Poor teacher. I burdened my anger out all on him.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, the news had already spread to the entire school. Everywhere I went, there were always someone who watched and giggled as I looked at their direction. It was getting more and more annoying by the minute, though. All I intended was to dump my anger on some_thing_, not some_one_. It could involve punching a wall, throwing pillows and slamming desks, but I had never intended to humiliate someone, let alone a teacher. And look where it got me now. I'd have to go apologize to that teacher when I could and try to dissipate the gossiping crowd.

"Naoto! Wait up!" A charcoal-gray haired young man ran with heavy breathing down the hallway. He looked as if he had just participated in the running marathon.

"Oh hello, senpai." I replied in simplicity. As he walked closer to me, I stepped back a little. "Please don't come too close senpai, I don't want to cause another misunderstanding."

He shook his head. "No Naoto, I already put some sense into them. It'll be fine now. Moreover, they were just joking around. They weren't serious." He shrugged casually.

I examined his eyes carefully. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positively sure." He nodded firmly, not avoiding my scanning.

"Then that aside," I broke off the contact and held up the folded envelope after a few shuffles inside my pocket. "May I ask for your assistance again today?"

"You may, Naoto Shirogane the Intelligent." he smirked.

* * *

"Ow... that sure hurt..."

A miserable-looking teen slumped against the bench in the gazebo. "You didn't have to hit me that hard, you know."

"Well, I just had to let someone know that I'm sick of it. Everywhere I go, they call me this and that, and they never stop _staring_. I'm sure by now they know that it's not polite to stare." I frowned disapprovingly.

"Hey, the teacher's own student outsmarted him! How's that not going to become news...? And how'd you think that fast, anyway? I the smart-ass genius can't do even do that in approximately two seconds after the teacher spoke."

"You are so full of yourself, Souji Seta," I smiled wrily. "And think fast? Maybe it's just this hidden talent I have when I'm annoyed or feeling emotional," I shrugged in imperceptibility. "Let's begin, shall we?"

He nodded and I continued. "Here. A message was sent to my house the other day. I want you to give me your opinion on it," I took out the folded envelope from my bag and passed it over, to which he recieved politely. "Judging by its appearance; from what I've observed last night, it's on the same cardstock, the same size, unsigned to no further clues like last time."

"From what I know, this must be the same Phantom Thief as before." Souji nodded slowly.

"Yes, this is the work of the figure who snuck in the Shirogane Estate," I agreed. "Though I can't take into account of _how _he would be able to. The security in my house is at maximum. This isn't someone to be messed with."

Phantom Thief. Whoever in the world was this guy? And what does he want from me? This was so childish and absurd. Being a detective sure is hard work. They have to handle things like this once in a while. Just be patient and put up with it. A detective should never lose her/his temper and succumb to their emotions. That's what I kept reminding myself.

I scoffed. "The Phantom Thief, he says? How absurd..." My fists clenched. _I have to stay calm..._ "I haven't the time to waste on this..."

"That's right. We've already got much more pressing matters to attend to. And we're faced with another challenge?"

"We're dealing with a matter that has claimed lives; the stakes are entirely different," I said acknowledgingly, and my eyes narrowed. "In contrast, we have a petty challenge of mere housebreaking, theft, and inscrutable threats."

Souji stayed silent, his thoughtful gaze looking elsewhere. I growled with bitterness in my voice, "Just a ruffian who broke into the Shirogane Estate and threw down the gauntlet..." My patience was running thin. "Argh! That's why I don't like this! Why is it when I'm with you, I always seem to lose my composure... I don't want to get involved in this childish game."

More silence. What in the world came over him to make him so quiet? Nonetheless, I continued, determined to let out my frustration. "But... to ignore it only makes me angry!"

"... We'll do this."

"Huh?" I blinked in surprise.

"We'll do this. Together." His silver eyes gleamed with set determination.

I avoided his gaze by shifting my own to a hole on the bench I sat in. "Of course we will... You're the one who brought this to my attention. Hrmph..." I was fighting hard to keep the notorious shade of red from creeping up into my cheeks. "... Let's work together on this." My tries weren't entirely sucessful, a small blush managed to escape my guard and settled on my cheeks as I continued looking at the same hole.

"Okay then." He then held out his hand across to me and beckoned me to shake it. "We'll make a deal. We'll try and solve this case in our free time, alright?"

I nodded and carefully took his hand to shake it, the dark shade becoming a little brighter on my cheeks. "It's a deal."

* * *

"I'm home."

Silence. All that ever was to greet me, except for the rain of course. Today always had a strange silence at certain times.

I walked over to the refridgerator and noticed a sticky note on it.

_Have to run over to Junes for some quick shopping. Help yourself to something from the fridge. Be back at around 6 o'clock._

_-Y._

My face was skeptical. It was unusual enough that Yakushiji had to run over to Junes at this late an hour. _Heh. Must have forgotten something there. _I brushed the thought away and happily treated myself to a couple of California Rolls the secretary made. It was delicious, it completely made my stress and troubles just wash away like a wave retreating from the shore.

I headed upstairs to take a nice long bath when my cell-phone rang. "Hello?"

_"Hey Naoto. It's me, Souji."_

"Oh, what's wrong, Leader?"

_"Cut the Leader crap. Anyway, do you know what day it is today?"_

"Um... Friday?"

_"It's raining for two-days straight now, Naoto. You do know what that means, right?"_

Something in my mind clicked. "Oh yeah, the Midnight Channel. Yep, haven't forgotten. I'll check it tonight."

A sigh was heard from the other end. _"God knows what we're going to do if our professional sleuth doesn't watch it and figure out who our next victim is."_

I laughed. "Oh really? So you're just using me, then?"

_"That's not what I meant at all! It's just that we'll be half as invincible as we are now without you."_

"... We'd be much weaker without you leading us, Leader," I replied, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "... But thanks. I'm glad to hear you say that."

_"You're welcome. Oh, gotta go, the doorbell's ringing. Don't forget to watch the Midnight Channel, okay?"_

"Affirmative. I'll call you later."

I hung up and walked happily to my room, humming a little.

* * *

The rain started becoming heavier as soon as the clock struck twelve. The melody that came from the clock was usually soothing and comfortable. Now it was gloomy, enough to make one cower under the bed covers. I pushed away that nausea feeling I experience whenever I feel like something's going to happen and stared at the blank TV, expecting it to go on at any moment.

Sure enough, the TV crackled to life like a rusty TV that hadn't been turned on for decades. The speakers buzzed, and a silhouette of a young child appeared. I couldn't see it clearly though, because the screen kept flickering and waves rippled. No sooner had it turned on had it faded again. I sighed and felt like calling Souji to ask him about the next victim, when someone else called me. I picked it up. "Hello?"

_"Naoto! Did you see it? Did you see it?"_ A female's voice rang through the phone's speakers. Her voice was so loud and energetic my ears hurted.

"Yes Chie-senpai, you didn't have to say it twice." I said and winced.

_"So who do you think our victim is? I'd say it was a kid."_

"Anyone would know that, senpai..." I groaned. I had already missed Souji's smart calculations and deductions, which were similar to mine. I nearly forgot that I wasn't talking to him. "... But I don't know if it was a boy or a girl. What do you say?"

_"I'd say we get together tomorrow at our usual hideout. Make sure you're free by then. 'Til then!" _She answered and hung up.

I sighed. _I'll see you tomorrow, too._

I thought about dialing Souji's number, but then figured that someone else would have probably beat her to it, most likely Yosuke. I sighed again and jumped to bed headfirst, earning a loud stiffening crack in the neck.

_... God that hurt._


	15. New Trouble Awaiting

The day grew darker and the rain became a drizzle as the Investigation Team gathered together on the picnic table in Junes. Everyone was oddly quiet as they each took their seats. All of them were lost in thought, and the drinks they bought remained untouched upon the wooden table.

I adjusted the rim of my cap before finally settling down at the far end. It was clear that they were all thinking about the next victim, and forgot all about the incident yesterday. I narrowed my eyes. It wasn't though I forced them to apologize; I just wanted them to have a sense of politeness. I haven't fully recovered from the irritation and annoyance of having them tease me all morning without thinking of my feelings. It was just plain unacceptable. If they didn't remember anything, then it doesn't really matter. But still...

Luckily, Souji noticed my dissatisfaction and sighed and shook his head slowly. "Does anybody have anything to say in regard of what happened yesterday?" When the others shot him confused looks, the silverette frowned. "... Naoto? Me? The misunderstanding? Don't tell me you've all forgotten."

"But we said sorry to you, dude!" Yosuke exclaimed.

Souji's face became skeptical. "You don't just owe one to me, and you know it."

Chie gasped. "Oh my god, I forgot! I'm so sorry Naoto-kun, I promise you this won't happen again!" She bowed her head in great apology towards me.

"... Huh? N-No, Chie-senpai, you don't need to bow your head down like that! It's okay, I'm not angry anymore." I desperately tried to gain hold of her shoulders and push her back up.

"Me too, Naoto, I'm sorry," Rise's eyes watered up. "It's all my fault, if it weren't for me..." Her tears started to spill out from the corners of her eyes. I sighed. This was all becoming so theatrical.

"It's alright, Rise-san... I forgive you." I patted her back in affection, highly expecting her to return to her delirious self.

My expectations were spot-on. "Thank you, Naoto-kun!!!" Her voice rang like a bell in my ear, but I was already used to it.

"... Uh, yeah... N-Naoto... I-I..." Kanji stuttered next, his eyes darting over to the others fretfully. He took a deep breath before shouting out. "I'M SORRY!!" His voice was even louder than Rise's, and it quickly caught the attention of several passer-bys and customers as they looked over curiously at our table. I groaned and accidentally hit my head on the edge of the table. Why did Kanji have to be so awkwardly apparent? "Er... I hafta go to the toilet." He muttered in embarrassment as he stood abruptly and shot off to the direction of where he was headed.

"... Um, okay...?" I rolled my eyes tiredly.

"Err... what's this about? Why's everyone apologizing to Nao-chan and Sensei? Teddie doesn't understand... Did they do something to you? Oh, how dare they!" The young bear frowned in puzzlement and shock.

"Don't worry," Souji came to my rescue. "There was just a _tiny _misunderstanding. It's nothing to get all worried about."

"Naoto-kun?" Yukiko said in her soft voice. "I want to apologize, too." To my surprise, she didn't overreact like the others did. She only gave me her most apologetic smile. I sighed in relief. At least there was one sane person who didn't go overboard when apologizing.

I nodded graciously. "I accept your apology. Don't worry, it isn't a big deal anymore. So, can we start?" I glanced over to Souji and silently asked him for permission to continue. His response was a nod. "So. I watched the Midnight Channel last night, as you suggested."

"Great." was his simple reply.

I sighed. "To think a master of deduction and logic would strain her eyes over an urban legend like this... And yet... I definitely saw someone." The child's figure flashed through my mind.

"Could any of you tell who it was?" Yosuke asked a little expectantly, his desperation was subtle. Apologetic murmurs were heard around the table, as they had no clue to who it was.

"From a fuzzy picture like that? No way." Kanji shook his head and closed his eyes.

"How about the regular TV? Has anyone become famous around here lately?" Yukiko furrowed her brows in thought and concentration.

I hummed in thought. "Hmm... I can't think of any offhand..." Then the image of the politican who visited Inaba appeared in my mind. "Oh... I suppose there was that politician who visited to quell te rumors about the fog. His statement was read on TV... But the chances of him being the one are slim. He returned immediately to the city after his inquiry. Furthermore, if I'm not mistaken, the victim this time looked like a young child."

"Young child?" Teddie answered this time. He too was lost in thought. Or was he in a daze? "Hrmmh..."

"Hm? What's the matter?" Yosuke cocked his eyebrow. Then he nodded leisurely. "Oh yeah... they stuck you with the midnight shift for falling asleep on one of the beds in housewares. I told you to use the TV in the electronics department, right? Did you remember to check it out?" The brunette scolded the bear lightly.

"How rude! I made a promise with Nanako-chan and I'm serious about living!" Teddie took the wrong way. "... From what Nao-chan said... I agree with her! The person on TV last night was pretty small..."

"I dunno... It was too blurry to make out any details, including how tall or short they were," Chie looked disheartened. "It was probably just a dream or your imagination. Either way though," Chie coughed lightly before continuing. "Did you sense anyone in that world?" Hopefulness was detected in her energetic voice.

Teddie shrugged. "Nope. No one's come so far."

Rise, the only optimistic person around the table, voiced her opinions out loud. "Then we might have to wait one more night and see..."

Yosuke sighed weakly, knowing their meeting resulted in no sucess. "Yeah, I guess so... Good thing it looks like the rain'll keep up all night. Don't forget to watch the Midnight Channel." He informed and stood up, gathering his things. It was clear that this meeting was over.

As the rest left the table and headed to their respectful homes, I remained. The fact that it was still five o'clock made me disinclined to leave. I needed some air and the rythm of the beating rain to ease me of my worries, and hopefully bring back my spirit. I closed my eyes in an attempt to relax and took continuous slow breathing. I didn't realize how this all could be so _tiring_. It wastes most of our energy trying to figure out who the appearing victims and killer is. I had a gut-wrenching feeling that this case was _far _from over. How many more television watching and rescuing do we have to do to at least get one step closer to our serial killer?

"Relaxing, huh? That's nice. Rain like this could sometimes get us back on track."

I snapped my eyes open and found Souji still sitting on his corner of the bench, making no move to leave yet. Everyone else was already gone. I chuckled, "I suppose so. There's just too much in my head. I need to let the wind cool it down."

"The Phantom Thief?" The silverette guessed knowingly. I groaned in elicitation. What a great way to add another irksome pile to my already huge mound of troublesome mess.

"Please don't remind me of that thief again. I am utterly not in the mood to solve such a negligible case at this moment."

"Yeah," He stood and stretched his arms. "We've got another big fight ahead of us. We might not be able to solve that case for a while." He slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and waved goodbye before walking away.

The sky was beginning to darken and people were starting to disperse. I stayed a few minutes longer before I decided it was almost time for my curfew and headed back home.

* * *

_"- And that's all for the weather forecast."_

I switched TV channels as I passed the time. The only way to stay awake was to drink coffee, but the kitchen was quite far from where I was sitting and I was currently indolent. My eyes flickered shut a couple of minutes and opened the next and kept reminding myself not to fall asleep until I've watched the Midnight Channel. _Must... not fall... asleep... I have to... watch the... Midnight... Channel... first... _Just when I was about to doze off, a voice spoke.

"Shouldn't you be off to bed by now, my darling?"

I scrambled back to a proper sitting position and opened my eyes as wide as I can. "Oh, hello Grampa."

"Why are you watching TV this late? You are not usually like this." The elderly but famous man lowered himself down to a seat near me. "Here you go." He handed me a cup of black coffee and I accepted it gratefully.

"Thank you." I replied as I sipped the warm scent of the coffee as I inhaled it deeply. I began to feel fully conscious again.

"Is this for the case you are so persistent to solve?"

"Yes. I'm searching for more clues. Do you happen to know anyone famous lately here in Inaba?"

"Famous?" The older detective stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There isn't anyone famous here lately ever since that pop idol Rise Kujikawa moved here, yes? But I suppose it was that politician."

_Same deductions._ "What did the politician do, really?"

"I remembered he interviewed a young elementary child, though..."

_A young... child? _"Could it be..." I gasped in shock. I placed down my cup hurriedly and ran to my room to fetch my cell-phone. Once I took it, I flipped it open and called Souji's number, waiting impatiently as I tapped my foot nonstop. _Nanako._

It wasn't a definite answer, but it was likely. Now that Grampa mentioned it, I thought I heard Nanako speak to me last week, about her being interviewed by someone. I wasn't truly paying attention to what she said, because I was too occupied in something... So she was the victim!?

_PIIP... PIIP... PIIP..._

_What? He's taking quite a long time to answer. Please pick up the phone! _I prayed to myself urgently. What was he doing?

Finally the phone connected. But something wasn't right. He didn't answer as directly as he used to.

"Hello? Hello? Is this Souji-kun?" I tried talking, but my voice was drowned by a loud shuffling from the phone. It sounded as if the phone was being shoved into a pocket. Impossible, Souji would never reject a call from his friends, especially if it was this compelling. I somehow heard voices in the background, but only bits of conversation. It sounded as though two people were arguing, a gruff man's voice and a smooth teenager's voice. Somehow that teenager's voice sounded a lot like Souji. I strained my ears to listen.

_"Wait, what're you-?"_

_"I'm confis... this." _The older man's voice replied roughly. Could it be Dojima? Why was he talking to Souji that way? _"Now tell me... truth."_

_"I... told you! We... TVs... fighting shadows... with personas... rescue... victims..." _The Souji-like voice answered helplessly. _That idiot! What in the world does he think he's doing!? Of course Dojima-san's not going to believe all this! What- Where the hell is he anyway?_

_"Personas?... People... TVs?" _The older detective's voice was expectedly disbelieving.

A long silence. I glanced at my phone to see if the call was still running. It was. A few seconds later, Dojima spoke again. _"... Thought... finally tell me... going... here... guess... half a year... wasn't enough..." _The the phone abruptly disconnected.

It was a definite possibility that Souji was being interrogated by Dojima. Whatever the reason was, I had no time to waste. I dialed their home, and to my relief, Nanako-chan picked up the phone.

_"Hello? This is the Dojima Residence." _An unusually depressed voice answered.

"Yes, this is Naoto Shirogane. Remember me? Argh, forget about recognitions for now, are you alright?"

_"Um... yeah. Since Big Bro and Dad went out, I had to watch over home again."_

"Wait, went out? At this time of evening? Where did they go to?"

_"The..." _Her voice was hesitating. _"... The police station."_

The police station!? Oh god, I have to do something! "Nanako-chan? Nanako-chan, please listen to me carefully. Are you listening?"

_"Yes? What's wrong?"_

"Um..." Telling her to not open the door to anyone would be too suspicious. She would be easily panicked, I was sure of that. "Just... It's this time of night, so... so don't open the door to absolutely _anyone_, okay? Just wait until your dad and brother come back. Oh, scrap that. I'm coming over to your house now, so don't go anywhere, do you understand?"

_"Um... okay... What's going on? Is Big Bro gonna be okay?" _Her voice was wavering. Oh no.

"Err, please don't worry, your big brother will be fine." It's _you _who's going to be in grave danger when I don't do something soon. "I'll explain when I get there, so be a good girl and stay right where you are!" She muttered a reply and I hung up. I've got to do something _fast_.

I shot out of my door as quick as lightening without bothering to close it and ran downstairs with loud steps. I swiftly grabbed my umbrella from the umbrella stack and opened the front door. The rain was beating hard outside.

"Wait Naoto, what do you think you're you doing at this time of hour!?"

_Grampa. Please, not now. _"This is an emergency, Grampa! I have to go somewhere!" Without waiting for an answer, I slammed the door behind me, and ran as fast as the wind to the direction of Souji's house.

* * *

**Oooh... Drumroll please!!**

**This... is heating up. I hope it wasn't too dramatic. Please R&R!XD**


	16. Delivery Truck

**Huh? It's been two months already? Whoa, time sure runs fast. Sorry for the super long update, I've been alot busier now since I'm in the ninth grade.*sigh* Oh well, I'm sure you didn't come here to hear me rambling, so here we go!**

** ~0.0~  
**

_"Wait Naoto, what do you think you're you doing at this time of hour!?"_

_Grampa. Please, not now. __"This is an emergency, Grampa! I have to go somewhere!" Without waiting for an answer, I slammed the door behind me, and ran as fast as the wind to the direction of Souji's house._

* * *

The road was as slippery as ever as I half-ran half-walked to Souji's house. I couldn't afford to run as fast as usual because chances were I'd slip and receive unnecessary wounds that would instantly slow down the process of retrieving Nanako. By the time I reached there, she would already have been kidnapped by the killer!

The night was darker than usual and the wind blew harder and so did the rain, as if it already awaited the dark, shadowy aura of the near future. Could it have already known that Nanako was going to be kidnapped? I shook my head ferociously. Since when did I believe in such ridiculous superstitions?

Suddenly my phone rang. I fumbled around my pocket for it while I held the umbrella tightly with the other hand. The wind was so powerful that it nearly blew the umbrella out of my hands.

"Hello?"

"_Naoto! This is you, right? Where are you? Why's it so noisy there?" _It was unmistakably Chie.

"It's raining! I'm going over to Souji's house as we speak!"

"_Then you've known about the Midnight Channel's latest victim, then? Wasn't Nanako-chan in it just now!? How could it be her...!?_" She was nearly shouting in exasperation. It was as clear as day that she couldn't believe Nanako, _our _Nanako, was the next victim.

"I know what you're thinking, but... Nanako-chan does fit the pattern. She wasn't seen... but she was heard."

A gasp could be heard on the other end of the line. "_What!?_"

"Do you remember the politician who visited a local school, and made the news several times? In those interviews, he always quoted a particular student he spoke with." I paused to take a deep breath, preparing to speak out what happened next. "The child became well-known while remaining anonymous... That girl was Nanako-chan!" The other end was silent, a good sign that Chie was listening carefully. "A reporter who took interest in this released her photo and interview using her real name in today's evening paper. But even before that... This is a small, rural town. Her identity must have been circulating for quite some time."

"_Oh my god..._" Chie breathed, not believing the very truth I spoke.

"I should've realized it much sooner... But I was hung up on the idea of people who were 'shown' on TV... It didn't occur to me that this would qualify..." _Damn... what kind of detective am I! I should've explored other possibilities than just being stuck on one idea that just coincidentially seemed like the ultimate clue! Damn my so-called detective abilities...!_

"_Wh-What're we going to do? Nanako-chan's home alone right now, isn't she!?_"

_But she might not be there anymore._ I growled as I pushed the thought as far as I could to the back of my head. "That's why I'm on my way there now! I texted Yosuke-senpai earlier and right now he's heading to the police station! He said he called Kanji-kun, too! They'll explain the situation there."

"_Alright, I'll join them right away! And I'll let Yukiko and Rise-chan know!_"

"Yes, please do!" And with that the phone line died.

* * *

As I rounded the corner and down the slope to the Dojima Residence, something caught my eye. The front door was ajar. Never a good sign.

"Nanako-chan!? Nanako-chan? Answer me, please! Are you there?" I called out frantically inside the house, though I had a gut feeling that it was too late. "Nanako-chan? Nanako-chan!"

The house was completely empty. No one was there. Nanako-chan's sweet scent was stale, which meant she had been gone for some time already. "Dammit!" I punched a hole into the household table, but luckily it didn't make a dent. I searched around the living room, searching for any sign of kidnapping. Nothing. I examined the opened door. It didn't look unusual. The lock wasn't broken or dented. She must have opened the door by her own will rather than the killer forcing it open. But it was also impossible; she must have locked the door. _And _I told her to not open the door for anybody she didn't know. Did she miss the most important part of our conversation a few moments earlier?

I decided to not waste anymore time wondering and dialed Yosuke's number. It was better to discuss this with the others rather than trying to figure it out myself. After all, it was entirely my own problem. My team-mates needed to know this, as well. "Yosuke-senpai?"

"_Naoto! Did you find her?_"

"I'm sorry, no. I was too late. She's already been kidnapped by our serial killer." I replied apologetically.

Before he could respond, I heard the phone being snatched from his hands. This time another voice spoke, much manlier and older. "_S__hirogane!? You there? What the hell's going on!?_"

It was Dojima-san. "I'm at your house right now. The front door's open and there's no one inside." I took another deep breath before I repeated the saddening news that shattered my heart. "... I'm afraid that Nanako-chan has been kidnapped by our serial killer." The other line was quiet, but I could imagine Dojima-san's startled face. "Surely you must have known, Dojima-san!? The case isn't over yet!" I was getting even frustrated by the minute.

A sigh was heard from the other end, and sound of the phone being tossed away. "Hello? Hello? Dojima-san?" When I ensured that he wasn't going to answer, I hung up and sighed. _This is getting even more complicated. I guess I'd better head to the police station where the others are._

* * *

As I ran towards the station, I heard footsteps appearing behind me. I whipped around to face the suspicious people. "Who's there!?"

"Calm down, it's us!" A magenta haired girl raised up her hands and kept in pace with me. Yukiko and Chie followed behind. "Geez, are you so frustrated that you don't even recognize your own friend's face?"

"Ah... I'm sorry. I just... don't know what to do anymore." I confessed.

"Don't worry. You're not going to solve this alone. We all are. Now let's stop chatting and keep running to the station!" Chie beckoned as she pushed on forward.

* * *

We burst into the room where the others were in the nick of time.

"So what's going on!?" Chie yelled.

The room was crowded and there was hardly any space to move around, so I stayed near the door. The only other people I spotted other than the Investigation Team was Adachi. Dojima-san was nowhere to be seen. He must have gone out.

Panic settled on Adachi's features. "Whoa, hey... If I let all you guys in here, then I'm really in trouble! Besides, we don't even know if this thing's --"

"Quit your bitching! Now ain't the time for that shit!" Kanji interrupted with a twist of outrage. "The hell we sittin' here for when this guy's family's in trouble!? You gonna own up if something happens!? Huh!?"

_No, this isn't the way to handle things._ "Kanji-kun!" I warned.

"I know how you feel, but if you don't tell me what's going on, there's really nothing I can do..." Adachi said helpfully.

I caught a point there. "Ah, so you agree to release him once we explain the situation? Very well, then."

Adachi shook his head frantically. "N-No, that's not what I meant..."

"In any case, if we run out blindly, we'll have no idea where to begin. Let's all take a moment to stop and sort out the situation. Perhaps this will help Adachi-san understand as well." The only way we were going to proceed with the case is with stability and certainty, and from what I see, almost no one here were in the perfect condition to move forward. All of us were restless.

Thankfully, not a single person objected. They all nodded and looked at me with uncertainty. _So this means I'm temporarily taking over._ I sighed. " There's no doubt in my mind that this is a kidnapping by the same culprit who was behind the others. Now. Consider that the front door of Nanako-chan's house was open. I examined it, and found no trace that entry had been forced..."

"You mean... Nanako-chan opened the door herself?" Chie inquired in disbelief.

I nodded. "Precisely. The culprit didn't sneak in. He came boldly up to the front door and pressed the doorbell."

Understanding beamed on the Investigation Team's faces as they realized the connection. "Like how it was for all of us..." Yukiko muttered.

"U-Umm... 'For all of us'?" Adachi spoke up, he clearly didn't understand the connection with the rest of them yet.

If I decide to explain specially for Adachi, we'd never get to the conclusion, so I continued. "But the circumstances are different for her, as compared to us. Remember what Nanako-chan said when we were at the hot springs? 'I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers.'"

"So is the killer... Someone Nana-chan knows?" Teddie asked curiously.

"Senpai... do you have any insight into this possibility?" I questioned Souji. He was too quiet, somewhat strange. But I could understand his situation, losing his cousin who felt basically like his little sister to a killer and kidnapper, not having any clue to what he was going to do to her. But our Leader shouldn't be like this, he should become a leader as usual, even in a situation like this. Hopefully my inquiry would snap him back to himself. At least, temporarily.

Souji was pulled out of his invisible illusion and gazed at me silently before replying. "I... I don't know." His voice was filled with grief, almost as he was _pleading_. His eyes told me everything. I wanted to do something for him, _anything_ for him, just so that he wouldn't feel this hopeless. But I had to refrain from doing things unnecessary for the time being.

"Hmm... I don't think we can limit ourselves to the people Nanako-chan knows..." Chie remarked.

"I agree... Then let us change our perspective slightly," I suggested. "We know for certain that the culprit uses a large-screen TV."

Adachi chose the wrong time to be even more confused. "Huh...? TV? What?"

"Each victim was taken at a different scene, yet was thrown into a TV almost immediately after being kidnapped..." I continued. "I would go as far as to say that it took place in front of their houses. Therefore the culprit must be taking a TV with him as he goes."

"You think he's using a car?" Yosuke spoke his opinion.

"Given the efficiency of the culprits methods, I would assume a vehicle larger than a sedan. However... No unusual vehicles have been sighted. I'd expect someone to notice, since most of the victims vanished during the day..."

"So it's someone Nanako-chan knows, who has a car... But it's a car that can't be seen?" Rise shut her eyes in thought.

"I think we can rule out the possibility that no one happened to see the vehicle..." Yukiko cocked her head in wonder. "Especially since it's happened so many times now."

Chie brought her hands to her chin. "A car no one would notice...? Is there such a thing? What would it be...?"

"...Truck." Souji mumbled to himself, half listening to the conversation.

"What? Speak a little louder, please." I asked.

"It must be a delivery truck." He locked eyes with me once again, trying to convince me that he sure of his answer. I didn't break the gaze.

"That's right... Now I remember..." Kanji's eyes widened. "A delivery came! It was the delivery truck!"

Rise gasped. "No one looks twice at a delivery truck, no matter where it's parked..."

"And if it were a local company, it'd be the same deliveryman every time so he's not a 'stranger' to Nanako-chan." My own eyes widened at the possiblity, what could be the answer. "She must've received packages from him during the times she was home alone, meaning we wouldn't know his face..." I turned to the only man quiet in this room. "Adachi-san! Is there anyone who fits this profile!?"

"A profile formed by a bunch of kids talking it over...? Let's see... a delivery company, huh? I dunno, take it from a detective... I think this is gonna be... alot more difficult than--" He stopped abruptly and walked over to a table in the middle of the room. Several files and documents were spread all over it. "Hey...!" We became alarmed at Adachi's sudden shout. "Maybe you're not too far off base... Dojima-san put this stuff together to reinvestigate the first case-- the murder of that announcer... And there's a deliveryman mentioned right here... I'd better go tell Dojima-san!" He turned back on his heels and raced out the door.

I took the opportunity to approach the table and examine the document more closely. The others crowded around the table after me. "After resigning from his last job, he took up the family delivery business... Before that, he was... a council secretary! Taro Namatame!" I glanced up from the document in horror and realization. I had known too well of that name.

"The enka singer's husband!" Yosuke cried out.

"All we know about him is his occupation, but I'd say that's enough of a lead to tell us where to go next. The address is... It's not far from here!" I replied.

At that moment Adachi walked in again, a glum expression on his face. He scratched his head and sighed. "I give him the clue, and he still finds an excuse to chew me out..."

"Is he gonna be okay...? The killer's not just a normal guy." Chie had a worried expression on her face.

"Nana-chan!" Teddie whimpered.

"Adachi-san!" Yosuke called out, his tone dead serious.

Adachi turned around again towards the door. "If there's been a break in the case, I's better hurry to the scene. I'll just have to hope nothing happens here while I'm gone... I didn't see anything."

I stared after Adachi as he walked away. "Adachi-san..."

"Let's go to Namatame's place! Dojima-san's probably on his way now!" Yosuke advised.

I turned back to my friends, a new look passed over our faces. "...Then let's do it!"

* * *

**M-My hands...th-they're trembling... I've never worked so fast in my life...*sigh***

**Well, please tell me what you think of this chapter!**


	17. Newfound Conviction

**A/N: Ahaha...haha... Please, forgive me? I don't have any more to say. Let's just say I got completely carried away with reality, all right? Or if you're still not satisfied, I wrote a lengthy explanation for it in my profile. Thanks for your attention. **

**Disclaimer: Plot is mine. Well, not exactly either. Nope, not at all. Just a few add-ons here and there. But I kind of messed with the dialogues a little.**

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The rain poured heavily outside, deserting the streets of any pedestrians. The sky was dark and gray, and lightning pierced the clouds occasionally, but luckily it never reached land. However, it still felt threatening and dangerous, as though it was ready to strike any minute. It was dreary and gloomy, just like the situation currently was.

A lone truck sped across the highway, its tires screeching as it swerved to a turn. The driver was frantic, his eyes almost maniacal. Beads of sweat stuck on his forehead, drenching his clothes as it travelled down. His surroundings were dark, and almost nothing were seen. However, in the dim glow of the streetlights, a silhouette of a wide screen TV lay concealed in a slovenly draped curtain behind him, serving as a poor disguise. The man kept glancing at his side-mirror, as if anticipating someone chasing after him.

Indeed, a few seconds later, someone else was gaining speed behind him. A white sedan was hot on his tail, its driver's expression presenting fierce determination and resolution. His brows were furrowed in concentration and he skillfully maneuvered past other cars who were in the way, his sight focused only at the truck a couple of meters in front of him.

He grunted. "Hang in there, Nanako! Daddy's coming to get you!"

A taxi came from the other direction and would have collided into Dojima if it weren't for his spontaneous veer around the taxi, the car horn shrieking in grating protest.

He recovered from his mild shock -as he was already quite used to near-crashing incidents from his previous chases- and saw his objective just in time to turn right, and throttled full speed ahead.

The truck driver was getting more and more edgy. There was nearly no hope for him to outrun the renowned detective; he was getting closer and closer. The sedan was creeping closer with every second.

Labored breaths accompanied his frenzied driving, and he incoherently decided the only thing that would throw the officer behind him off the course for good, even if it meant that he had to sacrifice his own life.

His hand rested on the hand brake.

Dojima narrowed his eyes in concentration. Just a little bit more and he would be able to catch up to the thieving swine.

Just a little bit more.

When he was no more than a foot behind the truck, it was where everything took a plunge for the worst.

The tires of the truck screeched to a stop, skidding across the asphalt. Unable to handle the sudden weight, the truck lurched over and flipped over.

In his absolute horror, Dojima pulled the handbrake so hard that he might as well wrench it off. But he knew he'd never make it. He was already going so fast, and the old sedan would never stop in time.

It all happened to fast, lightning-quick. He never knew what got to him before he promptly blacked out.

* * *

"Look!" Souji pointed towards a billowing dark smoke a few lanes ahead. "What could that-"

"What the-? Hey, is that smoke!" Kanji gasped involuntarily.

I ran up to them and found what they were looking at. It was... really smoke. Big, black, billowing smoke, almost ready to devour its surroundings. My heart felt like it was coming to a stop. "An accident...?" Lightning couldn't have caused that, there were no thunder claps at all when I scouted the area. It couldn't have been...?

I inhaled a sharp intake of breath. "No!"

Without another word, we all rushed to the direction of the smoke, driving our drenched and worn-out bodies to push forward even further.

I had a really bad feeling about this.

Up ahead, Adachi was crouching over a figure, extreme concern and panic taking over his features. He seemed to be shouting something, but it was lost in the heavy fleet of rain.

We ran up to him, and were shocked to find that the prone figure Adachi was crouching over was none other than Dojima-san himself.

"Uncle!" Souji shouted in desperation and dashed to the half-unconsious form of the detective, his hands frantically shaking the officer awake. "Uncle, wake up! Uncle!"

"S.. Souji..." The older man rasped. "Na.. Nanako... Where's... Nanako..?" Fingers sooted with dirt trembled and tried to feel his surroundings.

I choked back a sob. Dojima-san didn't deserve this at all. He shouldn't have been involved in this affair! This was all Namatame's fault! If he hadn't kidnapped Nanako, this wouldn't even be happening! If the TV world didn't exist, Namatame wouldn't be getting any farcical ideas and cause them all this distress, and Nanako... oh poor, innocent Nanako!

Anger had settled within me. I assured myself Namatame would not die a painless death. At least, I would personally see to it that he'd be dealt with in the most brutal way possible. _Calm yourself, Naoto! There's nothing to gain from losing your imperturbability! You'd only make things worse if you lose it now!' _I started groping around blindly in my pockets for my cellphone. I had to make myself useful now. The inner voice inside me was right.

I spoke directly as the line connected, not bothering to hear the greeting. "Hello? We need an ambulance, immediately! There's been an accident. One adult male is badly injured!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Adachi regaining his senses again once I had engaged for help. "That's right, I should call back-up, too! We gotta find Namatame!" And he instantly fished out his cellphone, dialing a number.

_Talk about good timing_, I thought angrily. _He really should get over that clumsiness of his, or it'll cause some really serious issues._

"Nanako... Where's... Nanako?" Dojima's eyes were glazed over, as if he was in another world altogether. Almost unseeing.

_ ...No, no! This can't be happening! I should stop thinking for the worst!_ "Yes, it's a couple of blocks away from the South District! Just follow the smoke, and you should be here in no time! I need it now, on the double! I will not allow any delay, do you understand?" Never had I abused my own authority over this, but it couldn't be helped. This time should be an exception.

"Uncle... Uncle, please don't speak. We'll bring her to you, I promise. In the meantime, please rest. She'll be here the next time you wake up, so please..." Souji tightened his grip on the older man, keeping it firm but not too painful.

Footsteps pounded behind us, and I had suspected at first it was the ambulance, but it was sorely lacking the wailing sirens. I turned around and met a breathless trio who looked as if they had run a marathon in the downpour.

Chie, being the most worried, gasped in alarm. "Oh my god! What in the world happened...?"

Dojima seemed to have heard her, because the next thing I knew, he was trying his best to prop his hands on the road and heave himself up, to Souji's dismay.

"Uncle!" He protested furtively, but was ignored.

"Was... on my way... to Namatame's house... when I saw... the bastard d-drive... past me...I...I gave chase... and he...just when I was getting the upper...hand... dammit...!" He panted heavily, only opening his mouth seeming like it was too much for him. "Where is... Nanako?... And Namatame...? Find them... please!" With the last word he uttered, his eyes scrunched shut, as if holding in the pain emitted.

Souji fretted, certainly in no way fit to decide what to do right now. I opted to study my surroundings while hoping to get a suddenly brilliant brainstorm when Yosuke butt in.

"But how? I don't see how we can..." He trailed off, and suddenly looked as if a lightbulb flashed in his mind. "Oh yeah, the truck! Maybe there are clues in there!"

I shook my head in self-shame and managed a sad smile. He was right. How could I haven't thought of it sooner? I was so bent on trying to do this on my own, and got swallowed in my own pride, and didn't even look at the clues right in front of me._ If Grandpa saw me like this, there would be no end to his criticizing_. I chuckled silently.

Adachi abruptly stood up and glared at Yosuke in alarm. "Wait, you can't! We need to preserve the scene!" He looked as if he was about to say more, but then decided against it.

I glanced up at the sky. It was still dark, and it didn't look like it would get any lighter soon. Soft rumbling could still be heard if you listened hard. I trained my eyes back to its usual professionalism and looked toward Adachi. "What if it rains again? All of the information we'd need would be lost regardless, don't you think?"

He looked stunned and only managed a hesitant nod, clearly stuck on what to contradict next.

"Then allow me." I put on my gloves and without another word headed towards the truck. It was time for me to seek out answers.

I climbed to the back of the truck and examined my surroundings thoroughly while being careful not to touch anything unless absolutely necessary. It was the main rule of investigation and I didn't need to be reminded about it. Cardboard boxes were everywhere, piled in several rows, suspiciously seeming to conceal something bigger and darker inside.

I squinted and felt my way through the empty boxes. It didn't matter whether I touched the useless scraps or not anyway, seemingly because I had a rather big hunch of what to find behind all the camouflage.

My instincts have never been righter. There, nestled deep behind several overturned boxes and cloth, was a black, wide TV. The screen reflected the light that came pouring in from the streetlights, causing the others to confirm what they saw as well.

I heard Chie draw in her breath sharply. "Look! There really is a TV in there!"

Before I went back, something light-colored caught my eye. It was lying on the driver's seat. I curiously reached to it and picked it up, slowly turning it over in my hands. A diary?

I backtracked to the opening and jumped off from the truck, and made my way back to the others. "Yes, large enough for persons of any size to fit through. And that's not all." I produced the diary that I'd been clutching when I squeezed back out. "I recovered a diary from the driver's seat... Most likely kept by Namatame himself, seeing how stealing Nanako's or any other's diary would make entirely no sense."

Reading the other's curious expressions, I flipped open the book to the first page. I began to read what was written there. "_I learned the existence of a new world. Thus, I must save people..._"

Kanji features twisted in confusion. "_Save_? The hell's he mean by that?"

I turned over the next page and to my bewilderment, there was a long list of what seemed like home addresses. But not just any home address either, I deduced as I read several of the names jotted down. "This... It's a list of the victims' home addresses!"

Everyone else gasped in shock.

"Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi..." I ticked off the names silently in the book and turned over the page, even more surprised of the names on it. "Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa... even the victims who survived and never released to the public are written here. But..." I skimmed through the long list quickly to make sure. "I note that Mr. Morooka's address is absent from the list..."

"Wow... Then that settles it." Adachi looked as if everything was solving itself in ways he couldn't have imagined...or could he? I sneaked another glance at him to see if I was imagining that foreign look on his face, but it disappeared as quick as it came.

I shook the thought from my head and turned the next page. "The last date is... today's... '_I can't believe such a small child appeared on it. I must save this child, no matter what.'_"

Chie interrupted. "Is that... Nanako-chan?"

It was a rhetorical question, so it didn't need to be answered. I continued my reading. "_'I managed to take her to safety. The police have been active lately... This will probably be the last time I write in this diary. I've done everything I can...'_" Beyond that there were nothing more than blank pages, and I shut the book quietly.

Yosuke spoke up. "It's clear now... He used the same trick on all the victims. He'd just ring the bell, like he was making a normal delivery, then throw the victim into the TV in his truck... Namatame is the killer!"

"We need to go save Nanako-chan! Here, let's use this TV and-"

I shook my head firmly. "Such recklessness would only get us killed. We don't even know where this one will lead."

Teddie nodded in approval. "Nao-chan's right! What if we end up somewhere dangerous?"

"But... But Nanako was thrown in there! What's the odds of us not arriving at the same place? It'll save the time we need before she gets consumed by- well, if something undesirable happened to her!" Chie refused to think of the consequences of reality. Concern had certainly taken its toll on her, enough to drive her crazy and thoughtless.

"... No. It's the same thing if we rescue her but don't know how to get back." A deep and quiet voice rose from his place beside the unconscious officer and faced the group. "There won't be any fog tomorrow, and we'll enter from the usual place. Are there any objections?" His voice was unnaturally strong and final, the true trait of a leader.

My chest suddenly swelled with pride and I gazed at him with admiration and relief, and a little bit of something else. The man in question nodded his head at every sign of approval and traces of his previous demeanour was gone. When he caught sight of me, my cheeks flushed and I looked at Dojima-san, who was being supported by Adachi. But I wasn't worried anymore. I knew he was going to be all right. Nanako-chan _will _be saved from this miserable fate.

Because our leader was back.

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**Once again, I beg you not to kill me. Now if you would just press the button below, I would happily consider myself forgiven. Thank you!**


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